Most Valuable Promotions marks a significant milestone this week as it approaches its fifth anniversary. Founded in 2021 by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, the company began with influencer-driven events but has steadily transformed into a major force in women’s boxing. On the same date five years ago, its inaugural show in Cleveland, Ohio, featured Paul against Tyron Woodley. Now the promotion’s anniversary card places elite female fighters centre stage.
The shift has been deliberate and substantial. Early MVP events drew criticism for pairing social media stars with combat sports veterans. Over time, however, the company invested heavily in female talent, signed numerous world champions, and created platforms that elevated the visibility and commercial value of women’s boxing. This weekend’s card, headlined by Mikaela Mayer against Chantelle Cameron, illustrates how far the organisation has come.
The Early Days and a Strategic Pivot
Most Valuable Promotions launched with a clear outsider energy. Its first two events centred on Paul versus Woodley, first in Cleveland and then a rematch in Tampa. Later spectacles, including Paul’s bout with Mike Tyson, generated massive attention and viewership. Critics often dismissed the promotion as gimmicky. Yet from the outset MVP placed serious female boxers in prominent positions.
Amanda Serrano became one of the company’s earliest and most important signings. She appeared as a co-main attraction on Paul’s early pay-per-view cards, giving a seven-division world champion meaningful exposure on large platforms. That approach became a blueprint: stack high-profile undercards with elite women, tell their stories, and gradually build independent opportunities for them.
Over the subsequent years MVP expanded its roster aggressively. Fighters such as Alycia Baumgardner, Caroline Dubois, Chantelle Cameron, Ellie Scotney, Holly Holm, Cherneka Johnson and Mikaela Mayer joined a growing list that at various points exceeded forty female athletes, many of them active champions. The promotion also co-promoted landmark contests, including elements of the Katie Taylor versus Amanda Serrano trilogy. An all-female card at Madison Square Garden drew significant audiences and demonstrated commercial potential on a major streaming platform.
Building Momentum and New Platforms
The past eighteen months have accelerated MVP’s focus on women’s boxing. In 2026 the company launched MVPW, a dedicated women’s platform, backed by a multi-year broadcast agreement with ESPN in the United States and a partnership with Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. These deals placed regular women’s cards on linear television and major digital services, a notable step for a division that historically struggled for consistent mainstream exposure.
Fighters have noticed the difference. Caroline Dubois has spoken about increased respect for female boxers and the opportunities MVP created for bigger stages and higher-profile matchmaking. Chantelle Cameron, who switched to the promotion after time with other organisations, credited MVP with delivering a world title shot and a unification bout against Mayer relatively quickly. She described the company as having followed through on its commitments.
Jake Paul’s background as an influencer has also influenced presentation. Fighters have noted guidance on building narratives and engaging audiences beyond traditional boxing circles. While some traditionalists remain sceptical of the entertainment-oriented style, others see it as a necessary evolution that attracts new fans and improves purses.
This Weekend’s Anniversary Card
The five-year anniversary event features a main card built around five women’s bouts. Mikaela Mayer challenges Chantelle Cameron for the WBA, WBC and WBO light-middleweight titles in a unification contest. In the primary support, Caroline Dubois defends her WBC and WBO lightweight belts against Amelia Moore. Additional action includes Terri Harper beginning a rebuild after recent setbacks.
The card takes place at Birmingham’s BP Pulse Arena, a venue that has already hosted MVP-linked women’s title fights. Cameron returns there as a headliner for one of her most significant contests since facing Katie Taylor. For Mayer, the bout represents another opportunity to compete at the highest level after years of high-profile matches.
These matchups highlight MVP’s current strengths: depth of roster, ability to make competitive title fights, and a willingness to place women in main-event positions. The promotion continues to balance its original influencer roots with more conventional championship boxing, occasionally staging hybrid events while prioritising the development of its female athletes.
Looking Ahead After Five Years
Women’s boxing still faces structural challenges, including questions around round lengths, consistent media coverage and long-term career pathways. Fighters such as Cameron and Mayer have openly discussed the need for further progress toward parity. Yet the landscape has changed markedly since 2021. Higher purses, all-female cards, major venue bookings and dedicated broadcast deals no longer feel exceptional.
MVP’s growth has contributed to that change. By signing top talent, investing in promotion, and securing television partnerships, the company has become a central player in the UK and increasingly global women’s scene. Whether it can sustain momentum over the next five years will depend on continued quality matchmaking, commercial success and the ability to develop new stars alongside established champions.
For now, the anniversary provides a clear snapshot of progress. What began with an influencer’s boxing debut has evolved into a promotion capable of staging competitive, high-stakes women’s title fights on meaningful platforms. The queens of the division now occupy the main event, and that shift marks the most significant achievement of MVP’s first five years.
