On August 29, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) will celebrate a milestone that few in the traditional boxing establishment would have predicted when the company burst onto the scene. Five years earlier, on that exact date in 2021, MVP staged its inaugural event in Cleveland, Ohio. Headlined by co-founder and high-profile online influencer Jake Paul taking on former MMA fighter Tyron Woodley inside the boxing ring, the card set the tone for a promotional outfit that immediately rubbed boxing purists the wrong way.
Just under four months later, MVP doubled down on the spectacle with a Paul-Woodley rematch in Tampa, Florida. For a long time, the promotion’s most culturally loud and commercially notable event was Paul—widely regarded as the face of YouTuber boxing—facing off against an aging Mike Tyson, coming at a time when the legendary heavyweight was so far past his prime that his peak years could not even be seen in the rearview mirror.
Throughout its early existence, MVP’s reputation was forged through fight cards featuring names, stunts, and outputs that traditionalists considered anathema to the noble art. Yet, the upcoming five-year anniversary fight card reveals a completely different dimension of the promotion—one that has quietly and aggressively emerged alongside the gaudiness. Indeed, what takes place this weekend offers a far more accurate and telling indication of the promotion’s long-term future than the novelty fights that built its early infamy.
The blockbuster main card features a lineup of five elite women’s bouts, culminating in a historic unification showdown between Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron for the WBA, WBC, and WBO light-middleweight world titles. The primary support act is equally stellar, showcasing rising star Caroline Dubois defending her WBC and WBO lightweight titles against Amelia Moore.
Dismissed for years by critics as a snot-nosed upstart promotion leaning entirely on social media clout, MVP can now be legitimately regarded as a major player in the sport and arguably the primary UK promoter of women’s boxing.
"Respect, I think, is the biggest change. I’ve seen and felt it," Dubois told BBC Sport, reflecting on the industry-wide shift. "I remember coming into the scene of the sporting world and if you say you’re a female boxer, people will look at you like ‘ah’ — but now people are like ‘OK, let’s see you fight’ — it’s not a joke, a gimmick, a side caricature. It’s part of the real deal."
A Haven for Disillusioned Champions
The transformation of MVP from influencer playground to powerhouse promoter is mirrored in the journey of its fighters. Fellow Briton Chantelle Cameron left promoter Queensberry to sign with MVP last year, seeking stability and momentum that had begun to stall elsewhere.
Cameron’s WBC interim title fight against Patricia Berghult in November 2024 served as a co-main event at Birmingham’s BP Pulse Arena. Just eight months later, Cameron squared off against Jessica Camara at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden. Now, she returns to the BP Pulse Arena on Saturday, this time stepping into the outright headline slot for the biggest fight of her career since her grueling 2023 double-header against Irish superstar Katie Taylor.
"MVP are taking over women’s boxing," Cameron told BBC Sport. "They’ve been amazing. Everything they’ve said they’ll do, they’ve done. They got me my world title shot. They got me my Mayer fight. It’s all been so quick — it’s just my third fight with them."
Before her brief spell with Queensberry, Cameron had been promoted by Matchroom. She famously defeated Taylor in their first historic encounter, before Taylor avenged the defeat in an immediate rematch. While those fights cemented her legacy, her career trajectory subsequently hit a plateau.
"The Katie Taylor fights were great fights and both will always go down in history," she recalled. "But it dipped. I lost momentum. Went on the shelf. I couldn’t get the names, couldn’t get the fights, nobody wanted to fight me. I wanted the fights, but they just weren’t happening."
The MVP Blueprint: Blending Showmanship with Serious Ambition
Cameron, Dubois, Mayer, and Terri Harper are just a few of the elite tier of women’s boxing talent currently signed to the MVP stable. Other marquee names on board include Amanda Serrano, unified champion Alycia Baumgardner, and former undisputed super-bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney.
The question naturally arises: why has MVP become the go-to promoter for the world’s premier female boxing talent?
Part of the answer lies in the promotional freedom and media savvy encouraged by the leadership team. Dubois, for instance, has developed a brash, confident new persona since aligning with MVP. She memorably called out Harper prior to their previous bout, engaging in a fiery war of words that led to an intense, high-energy face-off.
Tacky? Some traditionalists might argue so. But that very approach propelled Dubois from fighting in front of modest crowds at the tiny Park Community Arena in Sheffield to headlining major events in Miami and London’s historic Olympia.
"They’ve helped me get to that next level," Dubois said. "I want to be involved in the best, the biggest and the most important fights in boxing. Jake [Paul] brings the social influencer dynamic. He gave me tips and pointers and how I should build these fights. We’re entertainers, that’s what we are. It’s always good to get that insight from someone who is technically outside of the sport. He has that fresh mindset. MVP have that on lock."
While Dubois defends her titles on Saturday, Terri Harper—who lost their closely contested April bout on points—begins her own career rebuild earlier on the card against Miranda Reyes. Harper openly considered retirement after suffering a stoppage loss to Sandy Ryan in 2024, but she experienced no such despair following her tactical defeat to Dubois.
"I’m nearly 30 now and I now really want to enjoy it," Harper told BBC Sport. "It’s my last roll of the dice to see how far I can push to become a four-weight world champion. MVP have delivered the fights I want, and a greater audience."
Balancing the Spectacle with Sustainable Growth
MVP continues to carefully balance its serious, competitive stance on women’s boxing with its digital and influencer roots. Plans earlier in August featured an interactive ‘MVP x Tiktok Live’ event starring Amanda Serrano, demonstrating the company’s commitment to capturing younger, digitally native audiences who might otherwise bypass traditional combat sports broadcasts.
There is little doubt that if MVP is to maintain its hard-won momentum in women’s sports, the grand arena events and marquee headline acts must remain a fixture of their business model.
"I remember my first amateur fight in Camden, or walking into the gym when I was nine years old at Repton," Dubois said, reflecting on her path. "Now I’m fighting there and I’m talking about headlining and talking about fighting on Netflix."
If there is one undeniable trait that an organization led by Jake Paul can consistently deliver, it is noise, talk, and unmatched commercial spectacle. Yet, for elite veterans like Cameron and Mayer, MVP represents something far more enduring: a tangible vehicle to make a generational difference in the landscape of women’s boxing.
"I’m an advocate for three-minute rounds," Cameron noted, pointing to ongoing rules debates in the sport. "We’ve got a long way to go, but if more women started doing what the men do, we can start saying they give us the opportunity for equality for women’s boxing."
Fighters like Cameron and Mayer possess memories and lived experiences that stretch far back beyond the modern commercial dawn of MVP. They lived through the decades of systemic neglect, structural hurdles, and institutional indifference, giving them a clear-eyed perspective on both how far the sport has come and how much grueling work remains.
"In order for a sport to develop, they need to compete and women are a step behind because we weren’t allowed to even compete in the Olympics until 2012," Mayer reflected. "It’s not going to happen overnight, but this is what we needed to take women’s boxing to the next step."
