Most Valuable Promotions, a company co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021, announced a multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN in the United States on Friday.
In addition to the media rights agreement, MVP also confirmed the formation of an official women’s boxing league, MVPW, which will have 43 fighters. ESPN will be the home of MVPW events until 2028.
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Paul and Bidalian said:
“Since its inception, MVP has strategically focused on creating an umbrella brand that serves as the global home of women’s boxing, featuring the world’s best fighters, engaging existing boxing fans and engaging an untapped fan base embracing women’s sports, and today, we proudly enter a new era.”
“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 sport’s biggest stage. Partnering with ESPN, a global leader in sports, to launch MVPW on its platform is a historic milestone and aligning with the most iconic venue in the world, Madison Square Garden, as we launch the brand in the U.S. reinforces the scale and ambition we are building.”
The first event, MVPW-01, will be held on April 5 in London, England, featuring Caroline Dubios versus Terri Harper in a lightweight unification match. The event is also shown on Sky Sports in the UK, which is understood to be another long-term media rights partner that MVP is expected to confirm.
MVPW will make its U.S. debut on April 17 with an event titled MVPW-02, headlined by unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner versus Bo Mi Re Shin at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The third fight in the league will be a rematch with Holly Holm on May 30 in El Paso, Texas, where Stephanie Han defends her WBA lightweight title.
This is a big deal for MVP and women’s boxing. At a time when the major US promoters – namely Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions – do not have television deals and Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing is making an aggressive push into the sport, MVP has cemented its position as the home of women’s boxing, inking deals with the biggest networks in the US and UK to showcase its events.
