When Jake Paul started his boxing journey in 2018, nobody expected him to have as big of an impact on the sport as he does now. “The Problem Child” has made waves for his unique personality and loud mouth, resulting in a shift within the sport never seen before with influencer boxing becoming the norm.
Boxing has become a business, and Paul has decided to invest in it. Outside of fighting, he launched his own promotional company, Most Valuable Promotions.
The company hosted its first boxing event in May 2023, titled Most Valuable Prospects. By showcasing the future, Paul will look to leave a lasting impact on the sport.
Here’s all you need to know about the Jake Paul-led company and the new promotion to come from it.
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What is Most Valuable Promotions?
Founded in 2021 by Paul and advisor Nakisa Bidarian, Most Valuable Promotions was created, "to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners." It offers more creative control for fighters and continues Paul’s attempt for better pay and opportunities in boxing.
The promotion has co-produced fights featuring Paul, including bouts against Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Tommy Fury. Signing Amanda Serrano, the undisputed featherweight champion, Most Valuable Promotions helped produce the historic Katie Taylor vs. Serrano bout at Madison Square Garden in 2022. On October 27, Serrano competes in the first 12 three-minute women's boxing bout since 2007.
"The GWOAT Amanda Serrano officially signed as the first MVP athlete," Paul stated on Instagram. "Amanda is the No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world and the greatest Hispanic female athlete of all time. Amanda hasn’t had someone with a big platform really put her on. She’s so marketable and a natural-born superstar."
WATCH: Amanda Serrano vs. Danila Ramos, live on DAZN
Outside of Serrano, MVP has signed Ashton Sylve, and top WBC super middleweight contender Shadasia Green. Serrano herself has signed Krystal Rosado to the MVP stable.
What is Most Valuable Prospects?
Looking to expand the Most Valuable Promotions, Paul created Most Valuable Prospects, "a new boxing series created to highlight the next generation of the sport’s best male and female athletes, who all have world title aspirations."
The first event was held in the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida on May 26. Most Valuable Prospects will air on DAZN thanks to a new partnership with the streaming service.
"Having joined the boxing community in my twenties, I came to realize most professional athletes start training in the ring from the time they can walk," said Paul. "It's incredibly important to me and my team that we offer a platform and the tools necessary to help these young boxers achieve the success they’ve been working towards since they were kids. I was lucky enough to have a solid foundation when I entered boxing because of the people supporting me, and our goal with Most Valuable Prospects is to give others the same chance on a global stage."
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The first event featured Sylve, a 19-year-old who turned pro in 2020, and was signed by Paul and MVP in April 2022. Since then, it has featured two more events, with the Serrano-Ramos fight the latest.
On October 19, 2023, DAZN and MVP renewed their partnership, adding six Most Valuable Prospects events to the fight calendar for 2024.
“After an exciting year of partnership between MVP and DAZN, we look forward to another year of showcasing more Most Valuable Prospects fight nights. DAZN and MVP have had great success thus far and extending this partnership only makes sense to continue putting together even more thrilling fights for boxing fans,” said Joe Markowski, CEO of DAZN North America. ”Jake Paul and MVP have an incredible impact in growing the sport of boxing and we can’t wait to take part in this impact further.”