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 agreement will introduce a series of women’s boxing cards beginning 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 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, delivered historic and record-breaking events, and proven that these athletes belong on the biggest stages in the sport.”
The first card tied to the agreement 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 17, while Holly Holm is expected to face Stephanie Han in a rematch on May 30 in El Paso.
Several established champions and contenders are expected to appear across the series as Most Valuable Promotions attempts to expand its position in the women’s side of the sport.
The agreement also signals ESPN’s return to boxing programming after the conclusion of the Top Rank partnership. The scale of the network’s future involvement remains uncertain, though the new deal shows that boxing is once again appearing on ESPN platforms.
The move suggests the network still sees room for the sport in its lineup if the events can attract consistent audiences.
From a business standpoint, ESPN stepping back into boxing after the Top Rank era stands out as the real development here.
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