Most Valuable Promotions With Dedicated Women's Boxing Platform sign's ESPN Deal

A Historic Day at the Mecca of Boxing In a packed press conference at Madison Square Garden on Friday, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) officially changed the landscape of women's boxing forever. The company co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian announced the launch of MVPW—a groundbreaking global platform dedicated exclusively to women's boxing—alongside a multi-year broadcast agreement with ESPN through 2028 . The announcement represents arguably the most significant investment in women's professional boxing since the sport began gaining mainstream traction. With the gold "W" embedded directly within the existing MVP logo, the message was unmistakable: women's boxing is no longer an afterthought or a side attraction—it is a foundational pillar of the company's long-term global strategy . "This is about giving female athletes the exact same platform as their male counterparts," Bidarian told the assembled media, drawing on his experience as former UFC CFO who witnessed firsthand the explosion of women's MMA through Ronda Rousey . "The W in the logo represents unity. There is absolutely no brand differentiation between men and women in our ecosystem." The ESPN Deal: Returning Boxing to the Worldwide Leader The multi-year agreement makes ESPN the exclusive U.S. home of MVPW events through 2028, marking a significant coup for both parties . For ESPN, it fills a massive void in their combat sports programming following the departures of both Top Rank and the UFC in 2025 . For MVP, it completes an unprecedented broadcast portfolio that now spans Netflix, DAZN, Sky Sports, and ESPN—no promotional company in boxing history has assembled such a multi-platform empire in under five years . What makes the ESPN deal particularly significant is the commitment to linear television. In an era when many boxing broadcasts default to streaming-only distribution, the majority of MVPW events will air on ESPN's traditional cable channels . This commitment to discoverability could prove transformative for women's boxing, placing female fighters in front of casual sports fans who might not actively seek out streaming content. Rosalyn Durant, ESPN's Executive Vice President of Programming and Acquisitions, emphasized the network's enthusiasm. "MVPW brings together some of the most accomplished and dynamic championship athletes in boxing, competing on a stage that reflects the magnitude of their talent," Durant said. "We're proud to bring these championship matchups to ESPN and the ESPN App and further elevate women's boxing for fans across the country." MVPW-01: London Calling The MVPW platform debuts with MVPW-01 on Sunday, April 5, at Olympia Events in London . Sky Sports will broadcast the event live in the United Kingdom, while U.S. audiences can stream it live on the ESPN App . The inaugural card features a lightweight unification bout that has British boxing fans buzzing. WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois (12-0-1, 5 KOs) faces WBO titleholder Terri Harper (16-2-2, 6 KOs) in a 10-round unification clash . Both fighters bring legitimate credentials and contrasting styles that should produce fireworks. In what might be the deepest card in women's boxing history, the undercard delivers championship-caliber matchups top to bottom. Unified super bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney (11-0) faces WBA champion Mayelli Flores (13-1-1, 4 KOs) for the undisputed title . Adding further star power, former undisputed super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron (21-1, 8 KOs) moves up two divisions to face Michaela Kotaskova (11-0-4, 2 KOs) for the vacant WBO junior middleweight belt . MVPW-02: Madison Square Garden Takes Center Stage The platform makes its U.S. linear premiere on Friday, April 17, at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City . The venue choice carries deep symbolic weight—it was at the Garden that Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano made history in 2022, and again last July when they completed their trilogy on the first all-women's boxing card at the iconic arena . Headlining MVPW-02 is unified super featherweight champion Alycia "The Bomb" Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs) , who puts her WBA, WBO, and IBF titles on the line against South Korean contender Bo Mi Re Shin (19-3-3, 10 KOs) . The bout will be contested over 12 three-minute rounds—the same rules as men's boxing—continuing Baumgardner's advocacy for equal treatment in the sport . Baumgardner made history in December 2025 by becoming just the second woman to defend unified world titles under equal rules when she defeated Leila Beaudoin on the Jake Paul vs. Joshua Buatsi card live on Netflix . The co-main event features unified super middleweight champion Shadasia "The Sweet Terminator" Green (16-1, 11 KOs) defending against New Zealand's Lani Daniels (11-4-2, 1 KO) . Green, a former standout college basketball player and Team USA boxing silver medalist, became MVP's first homegrown champion in November 2024 and added the IBF and Ring Magazine titles by defeating Savannah Marshall on the Taylor-Serrano 3 undercard . For Bo Mi Re Shin, this represents the opportunity of a lifetime. The South Korean contender has fought in seven title fights since 2022 and pushed Caroline Dubois to a narrow points decision in March 2025 . "I'm really excited to have the opportunity to showcase my talents on such a big occasion in New York City," Shin said. "This is the sort of dream fight that you always imagine. MSG, all those belts, a fierce competitor in Alycia Baumgardner. I'm going to make sure that I turn this opportunity into the most defining night of my life." MVPW-03: Redemption in El Paso The third announced event takes the platform to Texas, as MVPW-03 heads to El Paso on Saturday, May 30 . The main event delivers a highly anticipated rematch between hometown hero Stephanie Han (12-0, 3 KOs) and combat sports legend Holly Holm (34-3-3, 9 KOs) for Han's WBA lightweight title . Their first meeting in January ended under controversial circumstances when an accidental clash of heads opened a cut on Han, forcing the fight to be stopped in the seventh round. With Han ahead on the scorecards, she earned a technical decision victory, but neither fighter felt satisfied with the conclusion . "Last time, the fight ended early because of the cut," Han said in a statement. "I got the win, but not the closure. This time in my city, there will be no excuses, no 'what ifs,' and no doubt who the better fighter is. I can't wait to showcase my abilities to millions of fans on ESPN." Holm, the former UFC bantamweight champion who shocked the world by knocking out Ronda Rousey in 2015, returned to boxing in 2025 after signing with MVP . The International Boxing Hall of Famer and three-division boxing champion sees this rematch as an opportunity to silence any doubters. "The rematch with Han is coming, and I'm ready for it," Holm said. "She's a disciplined, tough champion, and I respect that. I'll be putting in the work and I will be ready. I'm honored to headline on ESPN once again. It's always special working with them." The MSG Partnership: A Three-Year Commitment Beyond the individual events, MVP announced a strategic multi-year partnership with Madison Square Garden Entertainment aimed at staging annual MVPW events at the world's most famous arena over the next three years . The commitment positions New York City as a cornerstone market for the MVPW brand and provides women's boxing with a consistent premier venue presence typically reserved for the sport's biggest names . The Roster: Depth Unlike Anything Seen Before MVPW currently features 43 signed female fighters, including multiple world champions and top contenders across nearly every weight class . Beyond the athletes competing on the first three cards, the roster reads like a who's who of women's boxing: unified featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, undisputed bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson, WBC featherweight champion Tiara Brown, IBF junior middleweight champion Oshae Jones, fan favorites like Ebanie Bridges, and Canadian Olympian Tamm Thibeault . Serrano, the seven-division champion and MVP's marquee name, was present at Friday's press conference and expressed enthusiasm for the platform. She told media she had her eye on a particular card and noted she had never fought on ESPN, suggesting significant matchups lie ahead . Serrano also set her sights on breaking Christy Martin's twenty-year knockout record, demonstrating the competitive fire that has defined her Hall of Fame-worthy career . The Vision: What MVPW Means for the Sport While the fight announcements generated immediate headlines, the long-term vision articulated by Bidarian and Paul may prove more significant. In their joint statement, the co-founders emphasized the strategic thinking behind the launch: "Since inception, MVP has strategically focused on creating an umbrella brand as the global home for women's boxing, with the best fighters in the world, that engages existing boxing fans and attracts untapped fan demographics that embrace women's sport." When asked whether MVPW might introduce its own championship belts, Bidarian made clear the organization intends to work alongside the traditional sanctioning bodies. "We're interested in having as many world champions as possible being a part of the MVPW brand," he explained. "Ultimately it's not really about sanctioning bodies, it's about our athletes. We respect the sanctioning bodies and their process, but they need to evolve as well to allow for consistent matchmaking that is logical in terms of growing the brand and fanbase." The sequentially branded events—MVPW-01, MVPW-02, MVPW-03—mirror the UFC's numbered event model that Bidarian helped build during his tenure as CFO . This approach signals an intention to establish a consistent, year-round calendar that fans can count on, moving beyond the stop-start nature of much boxing promotion. The Historical Context The launch of MVPW arrives at a pivotal moment in boxing's broadcast landscape. With Top Rank and Golden Boy both searching for new television homes and the traditional promotional model facing questions about its long-term viability, MVP's aggressive investment in women's boxing represents a bet on both the athletes and the market . It also builds on the momentum generated by Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, whose two fights at Madison Square Garden drew massive attention and proved women's boxing could deliver at the highest level. Taylor vs. Serrano 3 last July marked the first all-women's boxing card at the Garden, and the venue's continued partnership with MVP suggests that was merely the beginning . The Bottom Line As the press conference concluded and the fighters dispersed for interviews, one thing became clear: women's boxing will never be the same. With 43 fighters under contract, a four-year deal with ESPN, a three-year commitment from Madison Square Garden, and a launch schedule featuring three deep, championship-laden cards, MVPW has placed a massive bet on the future of women's boxing. For too long, female fighters have fought for smaller purses, shorter rounds, and less attention than their male counterparts. MVPW doesn't just promise to change that—it has built an infrastructure designed to ensure it cannot continue. The first test comes April 5 in London. Then April 17 at Madison Square Garden. Then May 30 in El Paso. And if the vision laid out on Friday becomes reality, that's just the beginning. Tickets for MVPW-02 at Madison Square Garden on April 17 are on sale now through Ticketmaster. The future of combat sports has arrived, and it's undeniably female.

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