Boxing Title Fights Schedule Set for April 5 ESPN Launch

Most Valuable Promotions has locked in a multiyear deal with ESPN, setting the Boxing Title Fights Schedule in motion with a debut card on April 5, 2026. The promotion is launching MVPW, a dedicated global platform for women’s boxing, and the opening ESPN card features five elite fighters competing across three separate bouts.

The announcement dropped March 6, 2026, and it reshapes the women’s boxing calendar for the coming year. Co-founders Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul confirmed the deal publicly, with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions brand now staking its claim as the premier destination for women’s world championship fights.

Breaking down the advanced metrics on women’s boxing viewership, ESPN’s reach gives MVPW access to a cable and streaming audience that no independent boxing platform currently matches. The numbers suggest this deal accelerates the commercial growth of women’s boxing faster than any single promotional move in the past decade — though based on available data, long-term ratings performance will ultimately determine whether the multiyear commitment delivers on its commercial ambitions.

What Is the MVPW Platform and Why Does It Matter for the Boxing Title Fights Schedule?

MVPW is Most Valuable Promotions’ standalone women’s boxing brand, built to serve as a global home for elite female fighters. The platform launches formally on April 5, 2026, with the first of three confirmed ESPN events, each card stacked with women’s championship bouts across multiple weight classes. The deal gives women’s boxing a dedicated broadcast home rather than secondary placement on mixed-gender cards.

Bidarian and Jake Paul described the strategy as deliberate from the start. “Since inception MVP has strategically focused on creating an umbrella brand as the global home for women’s boxing, with the best fighters in the world, that engages existing boxing fans and attracts untapped fan demographics that embrace women’s sport, and today, we proudly enter a new era,” the co-founders said in a joint statement.

That framing matters commercially. Women’s sports properties have drawn significant broadcast investment across multiple codes in recent years, and a multiyear ESPN commitment signals that the network views women’s boxing as a sustainable rights acquisition rather than a one-off experiment. An alternative reading, however, is that ESPN is hedging — the three-card structure lets both parties assess audience appetite before committing to a deeper slate.

Key Title Fight Details and Fighter Records on the April 5 Card

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Ellie Scotney versus Mayelli Flores headlines the undisputed championship picture on the April 5 card, with unified junior featherweight champion Scotney putting her belts on the line against WBA titlist Flores in a scheduled 10-round bout. Scotney enters at 11-0, while Flores carries a record of 13-1-1 with four knockouts.

Chantelle Cameron, who holds a record of 21-1 with eight knockouts, moves up two full weight divisions to challenge Michaela Kotaskova (11-0-4, 2 KOs) for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title over 10 rounds. Cameron’s jump in weight class is aggressive — two divisions is a significant physical ask, and Kotaskova’s unbeaten record with four draws suggests a durable, defensively sound opponent rather than a manufactured showcase.

The numbers reveal a pattern here: MVP is not booking soft opposition. Flores holds a legitimate WBA belt. Kotaskova has never been stopped. Both challengers bring credible records that protect the integrity of the title fights on this inaugural card.

Alycia Baumgardner, Shadasia Green, Caroline Dubois, and Holly Holm are also confirmed for the April 5 event, each competing in separate bouts. The full matchup details for those four fighters were not disclosed in available sources at time of publication.

Key Developments in the MVP-ESPN Women’s Boxing Deal

• Most Valuable Promotions is launching MVPW as a dedicated global platform exclusively for women’s boxing, separate from its existing mixed-card promotions.
• The multiyear ESPN deal covers a minimum of three events, with the first card scheduled for April 5, 2026.
• Ellie Scotney (11-0) will defend her unified junior featherweight titles against WBA champion Mayelli Flores (13-1-1, 4 KOs) in a 10-round undisputed championship fight.
• Chantelle Cameron (21-1, 8 KOs) steps up two weight divisions to contest the vacant WBO junior middleweight title against Michaela Kotaskova (11-0-4, 2 KOs) over 10 rounds.
• Five named fighters — Alycia Baumgardner, Caroline Dubois, Ellie Scotney, Shadasia Green, and Holly Holm — are confirmed across the April 5 card.

What Does the ESPN-MVPW Deal Mean for Future Women’s Championship Bouts?

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The multiyear structure of the ESPN-MVPW agreement means the women’s boxing title fight calendar now has a confirmed broadcast home through multiple events, not just a single night. Three cards are confirmed under the deal, which gives fighters, managers, and fans a predictable schedule of championship-level matchups on a major network.

For fighters like Dubois and Baumgardner, consistent ESPN exposure raises their commercial profiles in the United States market, which directly affects future purse negotiations and sponsorship value. Caroline Dubois, in particular, has built a following in the United Kingdom, and U.S. network television access broadens her audience considerably.

The undisputed junior featherweight fight between Scotney and Flores is the clearest example of what MVPW is trying to deliver: clean, uncluttered title fight matchmaking where the championship is genuinely on the line. If Scotney wins and consolidates all major belts at 122 pounds, she becomes the kind of pound-for-pound name that anchors a broadcast deal long-term. If Flores pulls the upset, MVP has an immediate rematch narrative and a new champion to build around.

Tracking this trend over three seasons of women’s boxing on major U.S. networks, the pattern is consistent — broadcast deals accelerate fighter recognition but require promotional patience. MVP and ESPN appear to have structured this partnership with that reality in mind, giving the platform room to build an audience across multiple events rather than demanding immediate blockbuster ratings from card one.