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Top-Ranked Boxer Amanda Serrano Signs with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions
September 30, 2021
Seven-division women's boxing champion Amanda Serrano signed a promotional contract with Most Valuable Promotions, which was co-founded by YouTube star Jake Paul.
Serrano told ESPN's Marc Raimondi she's excited to work with Paul and co-founder Nakisa Bidarian.
"They're such a powerful team," she said. "I've seen what they've done in the last two years—what Jake has done, what Nakisa has done for Jake. I'm looking forward to what they can do for me."
Serrano is No. 3 in ESPN's women's boxing pound-for-pound rankings, per Raimondi.
She most recently defended her WBC, WBO and IBO featherweight titles with a victory over Yamileth Mercado on Aug. 29. That fight came on the Paul vs. Tyron Woodley undercard at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
The 32-year-old Puerto Rico native moved to New York City with her family at a young age and has become one of the best female boxers in history since turning pro in 2009. She owns a 41-1-1 record with 30 knockouts.
Serrano was also honored by Guinness World Records in 2019 for being the first female boxer to win championships in seven different divisions.
Paul described her as the "greatest Hispanic female athlete of all time" and told Raimondi they'll work to drive up her mainstream popularity:
"Without really much help she's gotten this far, with just her skills. She hasn't had someone with a big platform really put her on. She's so marketable. And really the sky's the limit, and that's what we do at MVP. There's a new era of boxing and there's a new way about promoting these fights and there's a new way to become a big fighter. So, she already has the skills, and now we're going to add our secret sauce into the equation."
Paul, who's helped create a new path to financial success in the boxing world by setting up pro fights with high-profile celebrity matches, said the company is going to work on setting up a bout between Serrano and Katie Taylor, the top-ranked women's fighter in ESPN's rankings.
"Major priority of mine [is] to push for equality in all aspects of the sport," he said. "I think she's inspiring females and creating female boxing fans, which is awesome."
Serrano is also an active MMA fighter with a 2-0-1 record, including a submission victory over Valentina Garcia in June.
Bidarian told Raimondi the plan calls for her to focus on boxing in the short term with another fight on a Paul undercard later this year before potentially taking on Taylor in the second quarter of 2022. They're hoping that bout takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
If finalized, it would be one of the biggest fights in women's boxing history.