Most Valuable Promotions confirmed the partnership during a press event in New York on Thursday. The company, founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, said the deal would launch a series of women’s boxing cards starting in April.
The promotion said it has spent several years investing in female fighters and building a brand around that side of the sport.
“Since its inception, MVP has strategically focused on creating an umbrella brand as the global home for women’s boxing,” Paul and Bidarian said in a joint statement. “Over the past five years, we have invested heavily in female athletes, delivering historic and record-breaking events and proving that these athletes belong on the biggest stages in sport.”
The first card linked to the deal is scheduled for April 5 in the United Kingdom, when Caroline Dubois fights Terri Harper in the main event. The show will be available in the United States through the ESPN app.
Two more cards are already scheduled. Alycia Baumgardner is set to fight Bo Mi Re Shin at the Madison Square Garden Theater on April 17th, while Holly Holm is expected to face Stephanie Han in a rematch on May 30th in El Paso.
Several established champions and contenders are expected to appear across the lineup as Most Valuable Promotions seeks to expand its position in the women’s side of the sport.
The deal also marks ESPN’s return to boxing programming following the closing of the Top Rank partnership. The extent of the network’s future involvement remains uncertain, although the new deal sees boxing return to ESPN platforms.
The move suggests the network still sees room for the sport in its lineup if the events can draw consistent audiences.
From a business standpoint, ESPN’s return to boxing to the Top Rank era stands out as the real development here.
