Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show has a huge following. It also has some very strong critics.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul fell into the latter category, but his complaints ended up irritating Puerto Rican boxer Amanda Serrano, the first fighter he signed with MVP and one of his biggest allies in boxing.
advertise
Hours before the Super Bowl, Paul tweeted that he didn’t plan to attend the halftime show and urged his followers to boycott it, calling “Bad Bunny” “a fake American citizen who openly hates America.”
Paul has lived in Puerto Rico since 2023.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been supporting the six-time Grammy winner after he made comments at the Grammy Awards calling for “ICE to get out” and to fight hate “with love.” The halftime show eschewed the former message but continued the latter, displaying the message “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” on the Levi’s Stadium scoreboard.
Serrano responded to Paul’s statement by noting that she and other Puerto Ricans like Bad Bunny are U.S. citizens, something she is proud of. She praised Paul and MVP for helping her career, but made it clear she disagreed with his statement.
advertise
Full statement:
Tonight I am where I am supposed to be on my beautiful island, celebrating with my people and watching in awe how well Benito represents us and our culture
I am proud to be Puerto Rican and proud to be an American citizen. Puerto Ricans are not “fake Americans.” We are citizens who have contributed to this country in everything from military service to sports, business, science and the arts, and our identity and citizenship deserve respect.
I wouldn’t have the opportunity I have today without the support and belief in me from MVP and Jake Paul, and I will be forever grateful for the role they played in helping change my life and elevate women’s boxing. At the same time, I want to be clear: I do not agree with statements that question the legitimacy or identity of the Puerto Rican people, and I cannot support such characterizations. This is wrong.
I fight with Puerto Rican pride and represent my flag every time I step into the ring. I will always stand with my people, respect who we are and be proud of where we come from.
I will never change and will always be a proud Boricuan.
Paul’s brother Logan also disagreed with his tweet.
When Serrano first signed with the newly formed MVP in 2021, she was one of the top fighters in women’s boxing. Signing a seven-division champion and top-tier boxer lends legitimacy to a sport that has been more spectacle than seriousness to date.
Currently the unified featherweight champion, Serrano signed a lifetime deal with MVP in 2025. Not only will she spend the rest of her career with Paul’s company, but she will also become president of the company’s women’s boxing program upon retirement.
