Most Worthwhile Promotions brings its girls’s boxing platform to American tv for the primary time Friday night time when MVPW-02 airs reside on ESPN from the Infosys Theater at Madison Sq. Backyard. Unified junior light-weight champion Alycia Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs) headlines the all-female fundamental card with a protection of her WBA, WBO, and IBF titles at 130 kilos in opposition to South Korea’s Bo Mi Re Shin (19-3-3, 10 KOs) in a 12-round bout contested with three-minute rounds.
The cardboard arrives on the heels of a profitable MVPW-01 launch in London, the place Caroline Dubois unified two light-weight belts, Ellie Scotney grew to become the youngest undisputed champion in UK historical past, and Chantelle Cameron claimed a title in her third weight class. That occasion gave MVP’s new ESPN partnership immediate credibility. Friday’s card will take a look at whether or not it might generate the identical vitality on this facet of the Atlantic.
Baumgardner vs. Shin: The Major Occasion
Baumgardner, 31, has held the undisputed label at 130 kilos, although she relinquished her WBC belt over the group’s reluctance to sanction fights with three-minute rounds. She enters Friday’s struggle as a three-belt unified champion with momentum from her final two performances beneath the MVP banner, each victories in co-main occasion slots on Netflix playing cards headlined by Jake Paul. In July, she outpointed Jennifer Miranda on the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano III card, and in December she defeated Leila Beaudoin by unanimous choice over 12 rounds with three-minute rounds on the Joshua vs. Paul undercard.
Neither struggle was considered a breakout second. Baumgardner received clearly in each however by no means produced the type of explosive assertion that turns informal viewers into followers. Friday represents her first alternative to headline on a serious American broadcast since changing into undisputed at Madison Sq. Backyard in 2023, and the stage couldn’t be extra becoming. ESPN’s personal analysts have framed the query plainly: can Baumgardner change into the face of ladies’s boxing? This card is designed to present her that likelihood.
Shin will not be right here to offer a mushy touchdown. The 30-year-old from South Korea turned skilled in 2016 and has constructed a report that features 10 knockouts and high-level expertise in opposition to prime competitors. Her two most notable defeats got here in opposition to elite opposition in Caroline Dubois, who beat her by majority choice in March 2025 in a struggle that was way more aggressive than the outcome suggests, and Delfine Persoon, who edged her by cut up choice. Shin is ranked within the prime seven by the WBA, IBF, and WBO, and he or she accepted this struggle figuring out the stage and what it may imply for her profession.
Baumgardner’s benefits are clear. She is the sharper technician, with the higher jab, extra refined combos, and the flexibility to manage distance along with her footwork. She has additionally demonstrated reputable knockout energy, most memorably in her 2021 stoppage of Terri Harper that altered the trajectory of ladies’s boxing at 130 kilos. The three-minute rounds ought to work in her favor, giving her extra time to arrange her offense and break down opponents who attempt to outwork her.
Shin’s path to victory runs via quantity and strain. She confirmed in opposition to Dubois that she is prepared to stroll via fireplace to land her personal pictures, and he or she possesses the type of toughness that may make any struggle uncomfortable for a extra technically gifted opponent. If she will be able to push the tempo and switch this right into a conflict of attrition, the struggle could possibly be nearer than many anticipate.
Inexperienced vs. Daniels: The Co-Major Occasion
Unified IBF and WBO tremendous middleweight champion Shadasia Inexperienced (16-1, 11 KOs) places each belts on the road in opposition to Lani Daniels (11-4-2, 1 KO) in a scheduled 10-round co-feature. Inexperienced earned her unified standing final July with a cut up choice over Savannah Marshall on the Taylor vs. Serrano III card, a struggle that confirmed her standing among the many finest at 168 kilos but in addition raised questions on her capacity to dominate at this stage.
Daniels, a 37-year-old New Zealander and former gentle heavyweight champion, sits at IBF No. 2 and WBO No. 5 within the tremendous middleweight rankings. Her report contains 4 losses, however she has been in with reputable opposition all through her profession, and he or she is the type of sturdy, seasoned fighter who could make issues awkward for anybody. Inexperienced’s energy ought to be the distinction, however she’s going to must be sharper than she was in opposition to Marshall to place a convincing stamp on this protection.
The actual stakes for Inexperienced prolong past Friday. A dominant win units the desk for a possible superfight with Claressa Shields, a matchup that MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian has publicly expressed curiosity in making. Inexperienced has been equally direct about wanting that struggle. Something lower than an emphatic efficiency right here may push that timeline again.
Major Card: Rosado vs. Reyes and Dove vs. Micheo
The ESPN fundamental card, which begins at 10 p.m. ET, options 4 bouts. Puerto Rican bantamweight Krystal Rosado (8-1, 2 KOs) opens the principle broadcast in opposition to Mexico’s undefeated Fernanda Reyes (8-0) in an eight-round struggle at 118 kilos. Rosado, a 23-year-old protege of Amanda Serrano, has developed steadily via MVP’s prospect pipeline since her professional debut in 2023 and brings a fan-friendly, aggressive fashion that belies her age. Reyes is unbeaten and trying to set up herself on the largest card of her profession. The Puerto Rico vs. Mexico dynamic provides a layer of intrigue to what ought to be a aggressive matchup.
Flyweight Natalie Dove (7-0-1, 2 KOs) was elevated to the principle card after the initially scheduled middleweight bout between Tamm Thibeault and Nadja Jesus fell via on account of visa points for the Brazilian fighter. Dove faces Maria Micheo (14-6, 8 KOs) in an eight-round struggle at 112 kilos. Micheo is a two-time world title contender who has shared the ring with Yokasta Valle and Gabriela Fundora, amongst others, and he or she brings a stage of expertise that ought to take a look at Dove’s unbeaten report in significant methods.
The Undercard
The ESPN+ prelims, streaming from 6:30 p.m. ET, carry a number of bouts value monitoring. U.S. Olympian and 2021 newbie world champion Jahmal Harvey (2-0, 1 KO) faces Daniel Lugo in a six-round light-weight bout. Harvey, from Oxon Hill, Maryland, was a Paris 2024 quarter-finalist and a 10-time nationwide champion as an newbie earlier than turning skilled on the Joshua vs. Paul undercard in December. He’s considered one of MVP’s marquee younger male prospects and among the many most credentialed American amateurs to enter the professional ranks lately.
Undefeated junior welterweight Alex Vargas (14-0, 5 KOs) out of Bellport, New York, faces fellow unbeaten Ryan O’Rourke (13-0, 3 KOs) in an eight-round contest that represents a reputable step up for each fighters. Tremendous bantamweight Elon De Jesus (11-1-2, 8 KOs), a Dunkirk, New York, native, meets England’s Connor Adaway (10-2-1, 4 KOs) over eight rounds at 122 kilos. Raquel Miller (13-0, 6 KOs), a former WBA interim tremendous welterweight champion ranked No. 2 by the WBC at 168 kilos, makes her MVP promotional debut in opposition to Brazil’s Adriana Araujo (6-3, 1 KO) in a six-round tremendous middleweight contest. Albanian heavyweight Luis Gjolena (6-0-1) rounds out the cardboard in a four-round bout in opposition to Robert Salinas.
MVP has structured its MVPW playing cards with an all-female fundamental card supported by male bouts on the undercard, a deliberate inversion of the standard mannequin. Whether or not this format can maintain viewership and construct a loyal viewers past the present girls’s boxing fanbase is among the central questions the platform might want to reply over the subsequent 12 months. Friday night time’s card, broadcast reside from probably the most well-known enviornment in boxing, is pretty much as good a take a look at as any.
