Paul Joins Forces With Hearn For MVP-Matchroom Alliance

Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn have formed a strategic alliance between Most Valuable Promotions and Matchroom Boxing, a partnership both promoters acknowledged few would have predicted given their public feuds. The collaboration targets the global expansion of women's boxing and launches with the signing of Australia's two-division champion Skye Nicolson, MMA Mania reports.

Nicolson holds the WBC bantamweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">super bantamweight world title and competed at the 2020 Olympics. She carries a 16-1 record with three knockouts and will defend her strap against Japan's Miyo Yoshida on August 29 at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham, England. The card airs on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN+ in the US.

What The MVP-Matchroom Partnership Means For Women's Boxing

Hearn told reporters the union makes sense despite the unlikely pairing. "For a long time, Matchroom has singlehandedly carried the flag for women's boxing," he said, per MMA Mania. "In recent years, MVP have done an incredible job, too. They now have an unprecedented stable of champions and continue to break the boundaries for women's boxing time and time again."

Paul and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian framed the move as part of a broader campaign to build the premier platform for female fighters. The alliance positions both promoters against Dana White's Zuffa Boxing, which holds backing from Turki Al-Sheikh. Paul and Hearn were previously adversaries — Hearn sued Paul for $100 million over defamation claims — but share a common rival in White's boxing venture.

Yoshida brings a 19-5 record with one knockout into the Birmingham bout. The partnership's first event under the MVPW-06 banner will test whether the combined rosters can deliver the legacy fights Hearn referenced and the transformative opportunities Paul pledged.

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• MMA Mania — Jake Paul joins forces with Eddie Hearn to create MVP-Matchroom alliance, promptly signs two-division champ