Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions has made a splash in women's boxing in the past 60 days by signing some of the most accomplished female fighters in the sport. Shortly after the announcement that the July 11 trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano would feature an all-women's undercard, MVP went to work signing some of the big names in the sport, including undisputed women's junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner, WBC interim junior welterweight titleholder Chantelle Cameron and former undisputed super middleweight champ Savannah Marshall, and filling the Madison Square Garden fight card up with some compelling matchups featuring five title fights.
The event will also stream on Netflix and expose many of these boxers to the largest viewing audience they have ever competed in front of. Not to mention that on June 28, former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm will return to boxing for the first time in over 12 years on the undercard of Jake Paul's showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The 43-year-old Holm, who also signed with MVP, hopes to add to her legacy by again becoming a world champion in boxing and remains one of the most recognizable names in women's combat sports.
With MVP's investment in women's boxing, could we be potentially entering a period where the sport sees a surge in popularity similar to what the WNBA experienced in 2024?
While the names are important, the matchups are equally significant. ESPN takes a closer look at the announced matchups and what the future may hold for each of the high-profile signees to MVP.
June 28: Holly Holm vs. Yolanda Vega - Lightweight bout
Holm, a member of the 2022 International Boxing Hall of Fame, is looking to make one last title run before retiring for good. Not much is known about her opponent in Vega, but if Holm can overcome Father Time, she may find herself in the mix for a fight against one of the four lightweight champions.
Terri Harper (WBO), Beatriz Ferreira (IBF), Stephanie Han (WBA) and Caroline Dubois (WBC) are the current titleholders, with three of the four in action over the next two months. Harper faces Natalie Zimmerman on May 23, Ferreira puts her championship on the line against Maria Ines Ferreyra on June 7 and Han will defend her title on July 12 against Bexcy Mateus. If Holm wins, she'll likely be pushed up the ladder to face one of the champions in her next fight.
July 11: Savannah Marshall vs. Shadasia Green - Super middleweight unification
What makes this truly compelling is that the winner could be in line for a showdown with former undisputed super middleweight champ Claressa Shields, who on July 26, defends her undisputed heavyweight title against Lani Daniels.
Shields, a five-division world champion, has history with both Marshall and Green. Marshall remains the only fighter to have beaten Shields as either an amateur or a professional when she outpointed her at the 2012 AIBA Women's World Championships. Shields avenged the loss to Marshall in the pro ranks by outpointing her in 2022 to win the undisputed middleweight championship. Green has gone back and forth with Shields in interviews for the past few years, and has welcomed a fight with Green. If Green can upset Marshall, a fight between the two could come to fruition.
As for the fight itself, Marshall and Green are arguably two of the biggest punchers in women's boxing, with a combined 21 stoppages in 30 fights. Marshall is the more technically sound of the two and should be the betting favorite, but she hasn't been in a boxing ring since 2023 and was removed from ESPN's pound-for-pound list due to inactivity. She took a detour in mixed martial arts with a fight in PFL last June, while Green was last in action with an underwhelming split decision win over Melinda Watpool on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson undercard.
July 11: Alycia Baumgardner vs. Jennifer Miranda - Undisputed women's junior lightweight championship
Baumgardner, ESPN's No. 8 pound-for-pound fighter, being slotted into the co-main event on a stacked Taylor-Serrano 3 undercard speaks volumes about what MVP sees in her star potential. The undisputed junior lightweight champion will be 31 by the time she steps into the ring with Miranda and is extremely marketable with her entertaining style and gift of gab. Although unbeaten, her opponent has fought exclusively in Spain against lesser opposition. Baumgardner is battle-tested and possesses booming power in her right hand.
If she advances past Miranda, the options for her next fight are plentiful. She could hold firm at junior lightweight and defend her undisputed status in a rematch with Delfine Persoon or move up to lightweight and begin a belt-collecting journey in another weight class. Or could a showdown with Holm be on the horizon?
July 11: Ellie Scotney vs. Yamileth Mercado - Junior featherweight unification
At 27, Scotney is the youngest of MVP's recent signees and has yet to be tested in the ring. Of the Englishwoman's 10 wins, her unanimous decision over Cherneka Johnson in 2023 to win the IBF junior featherweight title is her most impressive. Scotney, who also has the WBO belt, has a bright future ahead of her and is knocking at the door of ESPN's pound-for-pound list, but must first turn back the challenge of Mercado, who is coming off an impressive win over Ramla Ali last June to defend her WBC title.
Scotney is the favorite (-900 per ESPN BET) but is expected to be tested against the seasoned Mercado. Although they are the same age, Mercado has 17 more professional fights and has been in the ring with Amanda Serrano in a decision loss in 2021. A win by Scotney in her U.S. debut will have her one title short of becoming the undisputed champion at 122 pounds and a fight with Mayelli Flores Rosquero, who beat Nazarena Romero by split decision on May 10 for the WBA title, could be next. Romero is exercising her rematch clause, which will likely push an undisputed title fight with the winner of Scotney-Mercado into early 2026.
July 11: Dina Thorslund vs. Shurretta Metcalf - Bantamweight unification
The Thorslund-Metcalf fight is perhaps the most competitive fight on the undercard of Taylor-Serrano. The undefeated Thorslund, 31, is ESPN's No. 10 pound-for-pound women's fighter and has been a world champion since 2018. Since her debut, Thorslund, the WBC and WBO champion, has been dominant in each of her 23 wins, rarely losing more than two rounds on a scorecard. The Danish fighter will attempt to acquire Metcalf's IBF title to get one step closer to becoming undisputed at bantamweight.
Metcalf -- who is also signed to MVP -- may be a bit older than Thorslund at 40, but she's been much improved in the ring since starting her boxing career 2-3 before going 12-1-1 over the next seven years. Metcalf is a scrappy fighter who beat Miyo Yoshida in October to claim gold. Should Thorslund defeat Metcalf, a date with Johnson to determine an undisputed bantamweight champion could be next. Johnson successfully defended the WBA title in March with a seventh-round stoppage of Nina Hughes and has won two fights in a row since losing a decision to Scotney in 2023.