Women are joining MVP

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Savannah Marshall and Chantelle Cameron join MVP

Britons Savannah Marshall and Chantelle Cameron have signed promotional agreements with Most Valuable Promotions.

The 33-year-old Marshall had expected to feature on the undercard of the Boxxer promotion of Lauren Price’s unification welterweight title victory over her fellow Briton Natasha Jonas in March, but hasn’t fought since a majority decision victory at super middleweight over Franchon Crews Dezurn in July 2023.

Cameron, 32, has long sought a decisive third fight with Katie Taylor after inflicting her first defeat and suffering her first defeat in their rematch. She most recently fought in November when outpointing Patricia Berghult of Sweden; Ireland’s Taylor, incidentally, fights Amanda Serrano for a third time on July 11, on an MVP promotion.

“I’m delighted to say I’m now part of MVP who, more than any other promoter, recognise the value that women bring to this sport,” Marshall said. “Through Jake [Paul] and Nakisa [Bidarian], they also have a very unique, refreshing approach to the fight game. They think out of the box. They’re different. And boxing overall benefits from such trailblazers.

“It’s an exciting time to join their team alongside so many other accomplished female fighters. As a two-weight world champion and previously achieving undisputed [champion’s status], it only feels natural to be here, and I cannot wait to begin fighting under their banner.”

Cameron had fought under Queensberry Promotions after previously being associated with Matchroom. She joins at MVP Ellie Scotney, also of Britain, who recently left Matchroom.

“I’m very excited about this move,” Cameron said. “MVP has been nothing but encouraging in talks regarding myself and female boxing. This is a fantastic opportunity for the next stage of my career and an unbelievable platform to showcase my boxing ability. I’d like to thank Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul, and the whole MVP team for making this whole transition very easy for me.”

“Savannah Marshall and Chantelle Cameron are world-class athletes who represent the best of women’s boxing and the proud tradition of UK champions,” read a statement released on behalf of Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, the co-founders of MVP.

“Like [fellow MVP promoted-fighters] Amanda Serrano and Alycia Baumgardner, Savannah and Chantelle have reached the pinnacle of the sport by becoming undisputed champions – giving them the experience, perspective, and platform to lead the next generation. We look forward to announcing their MVP debuts in the coming weeks.”

[Glass Joe]

In b4 this gets banished to the womans section

Good that paul giving them better pay days, british promoters can't give them the opportunities and money.

[brian1982]

Major for mvp, the extra buys they will attract for netflix will be huge, in the 10s... surely.

[jameswilson]

Cameron sorting herself out with the winner of Taylor v Serrano 3.

[joshj909]

Cameron sorting herself out with the winner of Taylor v Serrano 3.

Think she's worthy of facing both of them at some point.

Not sure who they have lined up for Marshall though?

[jameswilson]

Cameron sorting herself out with the winner of Taylor v Serrano 3.

Think she's worthy of facing both of them at some point.

Not sure who they have lined up for Marshall though?

Yeah Marshall is in such a threadbare division. Her move to MMA was a shrewd one as she had taken everyone on that she could and lost to Shields so the MMA route and a possible MMA fight with Shields was probably the most lucrative one.

But if Jake Paul has offered her guaranteed purses then I’d imagine it’s tough to turn that down.

[margaret thatcher]

jake paul is the queen of womens boxing

[CaptainSpacerod]

Has he got so much money now he can afford to pay female boxers purses that don't reflect the commercial reality of staging cards

[Coco]

Has he got so much money now he can afford to pay female boxers purses that don't reflect the commercial reality of staging cards

He probably has, look at the money Tommy Fury gets.

If he his getting the top girls in good fights, and pays them over the top, good luck to them

Shalom will need to protect his stable.

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SAVANNAH MARSHALL TO FIGHT SHADASIA GREEN ON TAYLOR-SERRANO 3 UNDERCARD JULY 11 AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

Savannah Marshall will face another super middleweight champion in her first boxing match in more than two years.

The Ring has learned that Marshall and Shadasia Green have agreed to fight July 11 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Their 10-round, 168-pound title unification bout will be streamed by Netflix as part of the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano undercard.

Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions announced Monday that it signed Marshall and former undisputed junior welterweight champ Chantelle Cameron to exclusive contracts. Marshall wants a rematch with Claressa Shields, the No. 1 fighter on The Ring’s women’s pound-for-pound list, but she’ll have to go through Green to remain in position to try to avenge her lone professional loss to Shields (16-0, 3 KOs), a five-division champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Marshall (13-1, 10 KOs), of Hartlepool, England, and Green (15-1, 11 KOs), of Paterson, New Jersey, will fight for Marshall’s Ring and IBF super middleweight titles and Green’s WBO belt.

The 33-year-old Marshall will box for the first time since he edged another American, Baltimore’s Franchon Crews Dezurn, by majority decision in July 2023 to win the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO 168-pound championships. Her victory over Crews Dezurn (9-2, 2 KOs) marked Marshall’s only boxing appearance since Shields defeated her by unanimous decision in their middleweight title unification fight in October 2022 at O2 Arena in London.

Crews Dezurn, who has lost only decisions to Marshall and Shields, is the lone opponent to beat Green since Green turned pro six years ago. Crews Dezurn has recaptured the WBA and WBC 168-pound crowns since Marshall beat her.

The 35-year-old Green returned from her unanimous points loss to Crews Dezurn in December 2023 to win the then-vacant WBO belt two fights later. The former Old Dominion University point guard defeated Canada’s Melinda Watpool (7-1, 2 KOs) by split decision on the Paul-Mike Tyson undercard November 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Crews Dezurn is The Ring’s No. 1 contender for Marshall’s title. Green is ranked second among The Ring’s contenders in the super middleweight division.

Like Shields, Marshall competed in mixed martial arts during her hiatus from boxing. The two-time Olympian technically knocked out Mirela Vargas in the first round of her MMA debut on a PFL card last June 8 at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England.

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What's in store for the women's boxers signed by Jake Paul's MVP Promotions?

Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions has made a splash in women's boxing in the past 60 days by signing some of the most accomplished female fighters in the sport. Shortly after the announcement that the July 11 trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano would feature an all-women's undercard, MVP went to work signing some of the big names in the sport, including undisputed women's junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner, WBC interim junior welterweight titleholder Chantelle Cameron and former undisputed super middleweight champ Savannah Marshall, and filling the Madison Square Garden fight card up with some compelling matchups featuring five title fights.

The event will also stream on Netflix and expose many of these boxers to the largest viewing audience they have ever competed in front of. Not to mention that on June 28, former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm will return to boxing for the first time in over 12 years on the undercard of Jake Paul's showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The 43-year-old Holm, who also signed with MVP, hopes to add to her legacy by again becoming a world champion in boxing and remains one of the most recognizable names in women's combat sports.

With MVP's investment in women's boxing, could we be potentially entering a period where the sport sees a surge in popularity similar to what the WNBA experienced in 2024?

While the names are important, the matchups are equally significant. ESPN takes a closer look at the announced matchups and what the future may hold for each of the high-profile signees to MVP.

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WBA lightweight titlist Stephanie Han joins MVP

WBA lightweight titlist Stephanie Han has become the latest recruit to Most Valuable Promotions’ growing female boxing roster, MVP announced today.

Han, 10-0 (3 KOs), was ringside to challenge IBF beltholder Beatriz Ferreira after the Brazilian defeated Maria Ines Ferreyra at Most Valuable Prospects 13 in Orlando on June 7. She joins a roll call of female boxing talent that includes Amanda Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner, Holly Holm, Savannah Marshall, Chantelle Cameron, Shadasia Green, and Cherneka Johnson.

Han's boxing journey to this point has been a long and interrupted one. The native of El Paso, Texas, an eight-year veteran of that city's police force and a former Miss Texas contestant, boxed as an amateur from 2006 to 2011 before stepping away from the sport. Meanwhile, her sister, Jennifer, began a pro career that culminated in a record of 18-5-1 (5 KOs), the IBF featherweight strap, and shots at Katie Taylor and Mikaela Mayer.

Stephanie Han helped her sister prepare for that challenge of Taylor, which the Irishwoman won by unanimous decision in September 2021, and returned to the ring herself the following month after a decade away, turning pro with a four-round decision win over Isabel Garcia.

In her most recent outing, in July 2024, she stopped Hannah Terlep inside a round to claim the WBA 135 pound crown.

Han is also the mother of two children, including a special needs daughter with Nicolaides-Baraitser Syndrome, an extremely rare genetic condition with only 200 known cases worldwide.

“From serving her community as a police officer to raising awareness for her daughter and NCBRS, to competing in beauty pageants—all while dominating in the ring, Stephanie exemplifies excellence across every arena,” said MVP founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in a statement. “We’re proud to welcome her to the MVP family as we continue our mission to elevate women’s boxing and spotlight the sport’s most inspiring athletes on the global stage.”

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EBANIE BRIDGES SIGNS WITH JAKE PAUL'S MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS

Former IBF bantamweight titleholder Ebanie Bridges has signed a deal with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, it was announced on Tuesday.

Bridges, 38, became a mother for the first time in February and plans to fight later this year. Bridges last fought in December 2023 and suffered a unanimous decision defeat, losing her 118-pound title against Miyo Yoshida.

"The Blonde Bomber" Bridges (9-2, 4 KOs) is the latest female fighter to sign with MVP, joining a roster led by Amanda Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner, Holly Holm, Savannah Marshall, Chantelle Cameron, Shadasia Green, Dina Thorslund, and others.

“I’m very excited about signing with MVP, they’ve done amazing things for women’s boxing in such a short time,” Bridges said in a statement. “Proud to be joining a star-studded stable full of champions, current, former, and future world champions. I love and appreciate that MVP are truly investing into women’s boxing, for the right reasons. I believe with MVP’s backing, promotion, and clever marketing, myself and women’s boxing will truly skyrocket.”

The diverse Bridges holds a master’s degree and was once a high school math teacher in New South Wales, as well as a ring card girl, before transitioning into boxing to become a two-time Golden Gloves winner in Australia.

The UK-based Bridges won the IBF crown in 2022 by beating Maria Cecilia Roman via unanimous decision.

“Ebanie Bridges is a star in every sense of the word,” Paul and MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian said in a shared statement. “She’s a world champion, a proven ticket seller, and a force of personality who brings new audiences into boxing. Now a devoted mother on a mission to reclaim her title, she continues to break boundaries both in and out of the ring. We’re thrilled to welcome another Aussie to the MVP family and can’t wait to help take her career to even greater heights.”

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Shannon Courtenay, Jasmine Artiga and Desley Robinson among new MVP signees

Fresh from promoting the first all-women’s boxing card at Madison Square Garden, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) has announced the signing of five more boxers to its expansive and expanding roster of female fighters.

Britain’s former bantamweight world titleholder Shannon Courtenay; Australia’s unified middleweight titleholder Desley Robinson; junior bantamweight titlist Jasmine Artiga; 19-time U.S. national amateur champion Sa’Rai Brown-El; and Mexico’s former unified junior flyweight titleholder Yesica Nery Plata are the latest to join a grouping that includes such names as Amanda Serrano, Alycia Baumgardner, Savannah Marshall, Ellie Scotney, Cherneka Johnson and more.

At the age of just 19, Brown-El has already been boxing for nine years, having first gloved up at age 10 and subsequently won both the Junior Olympics and the National Golden Globes. Dubbed the “future of women's boxing” by USA Boxing, she competes at junior flyweight and flyweight.

Robinson, 10-3 (3 KOs), is coming off an April defeat of Chloe Chaos to add the vacant WBO strap to the IBF belt she won by outpointing Kaye Scott in December. Robinson, who defeated Scott despite having a fractured foot, is also a single mother to three children.

Artiga, 13-0-1 (6 KOs), transitioned to boxing from the Legends Football League at age 21, and she most recently won the WBA belt at 115lbs by outpointing Mexico's Regina Chavez in March. She will compete on MVP Fight Night in Orlando, Florida, on August 23.

Nery Plata, 30-2 (3 KOs), has been competing in the pro ranks since 2011. She claimed the WBA crown at 108lbs with victory over Yesica Bopp in March 2022, then added the WBC belt via unanimous decision over Kim Clavel in January 2023. Despite 19 months of inactivity, she is still ranked first by the WBA and second by ESPN at 108 lbs.

Courtenay, 9-3 (3 KOs), won the WBA bantamweight title in April 2021 following a hard-fought win over fellow new MVP signee Ebanie Bridges but lost the title on the scales in her first defense, a majority decision loss to Jamie Mitchell in 2021. She added one more win, then spent nearly two years out of the ring, returning to action in October 2024. Most recently, Courtenay secured a win over Bec Connolly in March.

MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian said the five signees “represent five powerful stories, four countries with proud boxing legacy, and one shared mission: to compete and win at the highest level. From one of the most decorated amateurs in U.S. history to unified world champions, they embody the same brand of world-class skill, relentless drive and undeniable presence we are cultivating at MVP. We look forward to each of their MVP debuts in the coming months.”

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Terri Harper now too

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Yokasta Valle, three-division titlist, signs with Most Valuable Promotions

Yokasta Valle made the only move that made sense at this point in her already stellar career.

The three-division and reigning WBC 105lbs titlist has become the latest highly touted boxer to join the growing Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) roster. The move was confirmed by both parties and formally announced during a press conference alongside MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in Valle’s hometown of San Jose, Costa Rica.

“Today marks a new chapter in my career, and I couldn’t be more excited to announce that I’m joining Most Valuable Promotions,” Valle told BS in a provided quote. “This signing is not just a step for me—it’s a step forward for all of Latin American women’s boxing, proving that our stories, our talent, and our passion deserve to be on the biggest stages.

“I’ve walked a path full of sacrifices, tough training, and battles inside and outside the ring. Every punch, every victory, and every setback has prepared me for this moment.”

Valle, 33-3 (10 KOs) joins younger sister, Naomy Valle, 14-0 (9 KOs), a rising junior flyweight and also an aspiring pilot who signed with MVP earlier this spring. She was previously with Golden Boy Promotions and enjoyed two title reigns under their banner. All involved parties agreed, however, that a move to MVP was in her best interest.

Her new promotional team could not be more thrilled with that decision.

“Yokasta Valle is a trailblazer and one of the most accomplished and respected champions in boxing, and she’s just getting started,” Bidarian and Paul said in a joint statement. “As a three-division champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, she has created generational impact and inspired young girls across Central America.

“Now at MVP, her story will continue to transcend geographical barriers and resonate with fans around the world. It is an honor to welcome Yokasta to MVP and to now represent both her and her sister Naomy as we continue our shared mission to elevate women’s boxing globally. The Serrano sisters set a high bar and now the Valle sisters are going to continue the legacy of sisters that reign supreme in boxing.”

With the addition of Valle, MVP now claims direct ties to eight of the top 15 pound-for-pound talents – including five on the current top ten lists of reputed outlets such as ESPN.com, Yahoo! Uncrowned and Ring Magazine.

Valle has won major title at atomweight (102lbs), strawweight and junior flyweight (108lbs) dating back to her first title win in 2016. She was also the unified the IBF and WBO belts at both 105lbs and 108lbs.

Her first strawweight title reign ended in a ten-round, unanimous decision to unbeaten Seniesa Estrada in their terrific undisputed championship clash last March 29 in Glendale, Arizona. The bout was, by far, the toughest in the career of Estrada, who was a top-three pound-for-pound entrant.

A rematch was sought by Valle, only for Estrada to announce her retirement months after their memorable clash. The wildly popular Nicaraguan-Costa Rican star opted to instead become the face of the strawweight division.

She claimed the vacant WBC 105lbs title in a ten-round virtual shutout of Elizabeth Lopez last November 1 in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The event was among many home country appearances in front of capacity.

Valle has since added a ten-round, unanimous decision win over former lineal and unified flyweight champion Marlen Esparza on March 29 in Cancun, Mexico. The fight took place two weights above Valle’s comfort zone – and which also saw Esparza badly miss weight. It mattered little, as the 32-year-old further proved why she is truly among the best in the sport today.

Far and away the face of boxing in Costa Rica, Valle has proven to be so much more than just a boxer outside the ring. She and longtime manager Mario Vega head Yoka Sports & Boxing Promotions, a venture designed to create opportunities for the next generation of fighters, especially women.

Valle is also a model and brand ambassador for Vaseline, Kolbi, Grupo Mutual, Dexketo, and Chery, among other products. Additionally, Valle previously released her own “Yoka” perfume.

All told, the joint venture with MVP could not be a better fit for the modern-day renaissance woman.

“MVP has shown they believe in women and in our ability to fill arenas and break barriers, and I’m here to leave my heart in every fight,” noted Valle. “Thank you to MVP for believing in me, to my team who never let go of me, and to all my Latino people who have supported me, no matter the distance.

“This new stage is for you… because together, we’re going to keep making history.”

[gilgamesh]

Has he got so much money now he can afford to pay female boxers purses that don't reflect the commercial reality of staging cards

It's probably some sorta Tax thing. He might get a deal with DAZN for broadcasting some cards or something I don't know. I know he obviously pockets a lot of money from his own fights under the MVP banner.

I'd be surprised if he continues to promote Women's Boxing after he gets done competing himself. Even if he decides to remain a Promoter going forward, the money won't be in the Women, and he'll figure that out.

[RScarf1]

Has he got so much money now he can afford to pay female boxers purses that don't reflect the commercial reality of staging cards

It's probably some sorta Tax thing. He might get a deal with DAZN for broadcasting some cards or something I don't know. I know he obviously pockets a lot of money from his own fights under the MVP banner.

I'd be surprised if he continues to promote Women's Boxing after he gets done competing himself. Even if he decides to remain a Promoter going forward, the money won't be in the Women, and he'll figure that out.

He signed boxers such as Stephanie Han and Jasmine Artiga who won by controversial decisions (Han in the WBA eliminator vs. Miranda Reyes and Artiga in her WBA title fight against Regina Chavez) and therefore they are not really top 5 or 10 in the division. The WBA is allowing them to fight a borderline world-class boxer Paulina Angel against Han tonight and Linn Sandstrom who is not a world-class boxer against Artiga who won by TKO tonight. The WBA rated Sandstrom No. 1 contender at super flyweight. She is not even top 30 legitimately. The WBA rated Paulina Angel No. 4 at super featherweight and she is moving up to lightweight, but really she is No. 28 by BoxRec at lightweight and the IBO rates her No. 28 at super featherweight.

If Han would have lost the decision to Miranda Reyes, she would be rated around there. That is why I believe that Paulina Angel is the opponent for Han tonight. They are both about the same in ability. Han won by scores of 98-91 x 3. One website scored it 96-93 for Han. Han was knocked down in round one. Florida judges are sometimes biased. These opponents of Han and Artiga are probably getting less money than legitimate top ten contenders would. I assume that DAZN is paying to broadcast it. Three out of the four bouts in the preliminaries were female bouts, so again less money spent than if it was men's fights, especially with one world title fight.

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Kim Clavel signs with Most Valuable Promotions

Former WBC junior flyweight titleholder Kim Clavel has signed with Most Valuable Promotions and will make her debut in the fall.

Clavel joins fellow Canadians, lightweight contender Lucas Bahdi and two-time Canadian Olympian and No. 1 contender in the IBF and WBA women’s middleweight division, Tamm Thibeault, on the MVP roster.

Clavel, 21-2 (3 KOs), of Montreal, Canada, is on a four-fight win streak, with her latest victory coming in February with a unanimous decision win over Anabel Ortiz. Clavel, under the guidance of Groupe Yvon Michel, captured the WBC junior flyweight title in 2022 by defeating Yesenia Gomez. Clavel, 34, had a noteworthy amateur career, climbing to fifth place in the world rankings across 85 amateur bouts and capturing a gold medal at the 2017 Continental Games. That same year, she turned pro.

Clavel, a trained nurse, returned to work during the COVID-19 pandemic, working at a long-term care facility. She would win the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2020 ESPY Awards. Clavel has also been named the WBC Prospect of the Year and Time Magazine New Generation Leader. Trained by Danielle Bouchard, Clavel’s next goal is to win another title, with hopes of becoming a unified belt holder.

“A new chapter begins with MVP: pride, motivation and the honor of joining a team that’s redefining women’s boxing,” Clavel said. “I am grateful to Jake Paul, Nakisa Bidarian and the whole organization for their trust. I also want to thank the GYM team for helping me get to this point. We have come a long way, but we still have far to go!”

Said Paul and Bidarian, co-founders of MVP: “Kim Clavel is the definition of a champion, not just in the ring, but in life. From stepping away from boxing at the height of her career to return to nursing during the pandemic, to earning the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY awards, Kim has shown the kind of courage, selflessness, and commitment that inspires millions. She’s also a world-class athlete, a former world champion whose talent and work ethic have made her a fan favorite in Canada. At MVP, we’re honored to welcome Kim to the family and to help her write the next chapter of her career. Attache ta tuque (buckle up) – because the next chapter is going to be big and we will start it with an event in Quebec soon.”

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ANNOUNCED: Mikaela Mayer has signed a promotional deal with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions.

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‘Ya’ll suck’: Claressa Shields rips MVPW fighters

Claressa Shields says there’s no competition for her over at MVPW.



Immediately following Alycia Baumgardner’s win yesterday, Claressa Shields took to social media to make it clear that no one on the MVPW roster poses any threat to her, while being critical of what Baumgardner put on display in particular.

“I have been dominant for 20 years,” Shields said. “A girl ain’t never gave me a run for my money, though. Not even close. But what I’m going to say is this, you MVP b—tches, keep Claressa Shields name out your motherf—king mouth. All of ya’ll! Ya’ll suck.

“It’s levels to this sh-t and I’m on level 100 and ya’ll motherf—kers on level 10. Real sh-t. Ya’ll cannot do nothing with me. Zero. Are ya’ll okay? And then lil’ miss Alycia, you look like a f—king amateur, my girl. You look like an amateur tonight and you do all this sh-t talking about what you can do with me, what you can do with Caroline. That girl had you running tonight. As soon as you got tired and got touched up, you got on your wheels.

“Quit saying my name. Quit hating on me to make you look better because when you get in the ring and you fight, you don’t look better…When you want to be on my level, you need to work a little bit harder. You, yes you, Alycia, you Shadasia — ya’ll need to work a little bit harder because you motherf—kers can’t f—k with me in this boxing sh-t.”

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MVP’S VISION FOR WOMEN’S BOXING IS ROOTED IN ROUSEY

Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions has been making massive waves in women’s boxing in the last year by signing stars and brokering top-shelf media rights deals to showcase its roster of 50 female fighters, 17 of whom are active champions.

The next chapter of the company’s journey investing in combat sports arrives Saturday when they jump into the cage to stage an MMA event headlined by female icons Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

The show will also feature former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and forever fan favorite Nate Diaz, household names who are no strangers to boxing.

The main card will broadcast globally on Netflix, the streaming powerhouse that has taken a serious liking to presenting pugilism for its 325 million subscribers ever since first stepping into the space with Paul’s showdown against Mike Tyson in November 2024.

Nakisa Bidarian, the co-founder and CEO of MVP, is the businessman brokering deals behind the scenes while Paul masterfully mans a megaphone, shining a light on their series of calculated risks.

Bidarian’s respect for the power of women's combat sports is rooted in Rousey, who took the UFC by storm as its first women’s champion at a time when he served as a chief strategy and financial officer for UFC.

“We're incredibly excited to put on this massive, global event headlined by two athletes in Ronda and Gina, who just happen to be women. It's capturing not just a sports audience but a mainstream audience as well,” Bidarian told The Ring after Rousey, Carano and others from the 11-fight card took over the iconic Venice Beach Boardwalk for a public workout.

“Ronda became the UFC’s biggest star and was right up there with Conor McGregor in 2015. I’d never seen anything like it. It’s very uncommon for any industry, but most notably for a woman in the professional sports ranks, to be the biggest star. When we started MVP, Ronda’s success in MMA was definitely a large component of us trying to make women’s boxing sustainable moving forward.”

Women’s boxing has been devoid of a perennial draw and lightning rod akin to Rousey, but it's certainly grown out of its stereotypes of being a novelty act since the turn of the century.

Bidarian and Paul made their first splash five years ago by signing Amanda Serrano, one of the greatest female fighters of all time. They immediately gave her a co-starring role alongside Paul, beginning with the company’s debut event featuring his first fight against Tyron Woodley on Showtime PPV in August 2021.

MVP slowly navigated around boxing, with Paul mostly steering the ship with his own fights headlining events. Separately, a series of contenders including Lucas Bahdi started to emerge and starred on MVP shows.

But since the beginning of last year, MVP has signed seemingly every significant female fighter under the sun, including Alycia Baumgardner, Mikaela Mayer, Caroline Dubois, Chantelle Cameron, Holly Holm, Ellie Scotney, Dina Thorslund, Cherneka Johnson, Yokasta Valle, Savannah Marshall, Shadasia Green, Oshae Jones, Tiara Brown and Evelin Bermudez, among dozens of others.

MVP has six of The Ring’s top 10 pound-for-pound fighters under contract. Although Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, Gabriela Fundora and Lauren Price are navigating their careers outside of MVP, all roads for meaningful matchups seemingly lead them back to Bidarian and Paul.

“People have been doubting our strategy ever since the beginning,” said Bidarian. “We tested our theory with Amanda Serrano by leveraging Jake’s profile to put her on the pedestal and provided her a platform and push to allow the world to appreciate her talent and women’s boxing as a sport.

“We’ve been getting traction, just like we thought we would, ever since, and it all culminated around the time Jake Paul faced Mike Tyson. That’s when we pulled the trigger to go all-in with a strategic priority and signed all of the best women's champions that we could, in addition to top female contenders and prospects.”

Broadcasters took notice that there was a viable market for women’s boxing — albeit one that required much fewer financial resources — after punting on boxing as a whole.

Serrano and Taylor engaged in an all-out war in a rematch as the co-main event under Paul-Tyson that yielded 60 million worldwide live views on Netflix. The Serrano-Taylor trilogy in July was also presented on Netflix and resulted in six million views as the main event of an all-women’s card.

With a deep roster in tow, MVP signed a multi-year media rights deal with ESPN to feature MVPW shows on ESPN’s linear cable channel and ESPN+ streaming service, eight months after the media giant allowed its deal with Top Rank to expire. Also in March, Sky Sports became the UK home for MVPW, which has already staged two shows featuring wins by Dubois and Baumgardner across continents.

MVPW’s third event is scheduled for May 30 in El Paso, Texas, headlined by a rematch between Holm and Stephanie Han, and Serrano as the co-main event. MVP-04 is set to take place in Orlando on June 13, and Bidarian said several more shows will be slotted for the second half of the year.

“We’re really excited to have a cohesive brand and reference for the sport in MVPW, which represents the best in women’s boxing,” he said. “There is positive momentum right now around women's sports, starting with the WNBA, and that is spreading across the entire ecosystem. We’re not fools to say MVPW is going to be as big as men’s boxing, but it’s OK. You see how leagues like the WNBA are starting to do well. There is a lot of asset value there.

“When you believe in creating a premium product featuring a vast majority of the world's best athletes, there will be media rights demand for it, consumers will continue to understand its power, fanship and viewership will continue to grow.

“People are paying attention to women's sports more than ever. If you can give media companies the guarantee that they are getting the best of the best fights consistently, and it’s not insanely expensive compared to that on the men's side, it becomes a great one-two punch for everybody.”

MVP is still very much in the business of promoting men’s boxing on the undercard of Paul’s fights and on the prelim portions of the MVPW shows. Bidarian said MVP is also in discussions for additional media rights deals for event configurations headlined by men’s boxing.

Despite Paul saying his fighting future is in jeopardy after breaking his jaw in two places following a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in December, an injury that resulted in two surgeries, Bidarian said the expectation is for the YouTuber-turned-fighter to return to the ring late in Q4 against either Ngannou, a Tommy Fury rematch or a run at a high-level cruiserweight.

“Given Jake’s profile, reach, and the demand for his product, we can do what makes sense on a case-by-case basis,” said Bidarian.

In the meantime, Rousey, 39, and Carano, 44, who are returning from a combined 27-year retirement, are tasked with guiding MVP’s maiden voyage into MMA.

"It's getting to a point where it's not a novelty to have women headlining events. It’s becoming commonplace," Rousey said during a press conference. "Hopefully, it's so common that it doesn't even deserve a mention. The ultimate goal is for women to have the same viewership and bring in the same revenue as men and to be able to be compensated the same as them as well."

Bidarian entirely supports Rousey's viewpoints and hopes its challenger brand can break through in a new sport and become something bigger, much like their business moves have proven to be in boxing.

“I assume our MMA event will do great numbers and that we’ll be taking a much more systematic approach on how we approach the sport,” said Bidarian. “Ronda's blown me away with her professional and promotional capabilities. She told me she has the desire to be our Dana White after this fight, and if all things go well, I am very open to launching MVP MMA with Ronda being an integral part of it.

“We can push, promote and raise awareness, but it also comes to the athletes to put on the right performances and capture the imagination of fans so that MVP can tell those stories and help everyone expand even further.”