(July 28th) Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions have today entered a landmark, long-term strategic alliance focused on accelerating the growth of women’s boxing.

The partnership brings together MVP’s industry-leading platform for women’s boxing and Matchroom Boxing’s global promotional expertise and world-class roster to create significant new opportunities for female fighters both inside and outside the ring.

And reigning WBC Super Bantamweight world champion at 122lbs, and 2020 Australian Olympian, Skye Nicolson (16-1, 3 KOs) becomes the first fighter to compete under the newly announced strategic alliance from MVP and Matchroom Boxing.

Under the alliance, Matchroom Boxing will work with MVP to continue elevating Nicolson throughout the next phases of her professional career – starting on Saturday, August 29 in Birmingham England, when the Australian defends her title at bp pulse LIVE against Japan’s two-division champion Miyo Yoshida (19-5, 1 KOs), airing live on Sky Sports in the UK and on ESPN+ in the USA.

The alliance reflects a shared commitment to strengthening the long-term ecosystem of women’s boxing. Rather than competing in isolation, MVP and Matchroom Boxing will work together to identify career-defining opportunities for elite female athletes, support the continued growth of world championship competition, and help expand the global audience for women’s boxing through premium events, innovative storytelling, and increased commercial investment in the sport.

Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn, said: “This is a partnership not many would have seen coming. But it is one that makes perfect sense.

“For a long time, Matchroom has singlehandedly carried the flag for women’s boxing. 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.

“For our female fighters – like WBC World Champion Skye Nicolson, who fights Miyo Yoshida on August 29 in Birmingham – to chase legacy and to fight the best, this new alliance is integral and we are fully committed to working together with MVPW to continue to grow women’s boxing.”

Nicolson becomes the first athlete to compete as part of MVP’s and Matchroom’s landmark strategic alliance.

Born and raised in Queensland, Australia, Nicolson’s stellar amateur career saw over 150 fights around the world including a Commonwealth Games gold medal, bronze at the amateur world championships, and representing Team Australia in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, where she finished as a quarter-finalist.

Off the back of the Olympics, she signed a long-term promotional deal with Matchroom and began a very active professional career that skyrocketed her to her first world title in just her 10th professional fight, defeating Sarah Mahfoud for the WBC Featherweight Title in 2024.

Now 16-1 as a professional, Nicolson most recently rose to Interim champion and mandatory challenger for the WBC 122lbs title. Shortly after, the belt was vacated by former undisputed champion Ellie Scotney, and Nicolson was elevated to become a two-time, two-division WBC World Champion in May 2026.

Entering this next chapter under the MVP and Matchroom strategic alliance, the 30-year-old prepares to unify the super bantamweight division and aims to be part of the biggest fights in women’s boxing.

“Women’s boxing is entering a new era, and I want to be right at the centre of it. This partnership with MVP and Matchroom gives me the opportunity to chase legacy, compete in the biggest fights out there, and help continue pushing women’s boxing forward,” said Skye Nicolson.

“My goal has always been to test myself against the very best and be involved in the biggest fights in women’s boxing. I truly believe this move puts me in the best possible position to do exactly that. I’m excited for what’s ahead and can’t wait for this next chapter of my career to unfold.”

Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. added: “Skye is one of the most recognizable athletes in women’s boxing today.

“As a two-division world champion, Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Olympian, and one of Australia’s biggest stars, she represents the caliber of athlete we’re building MVP around. Since launching MVPW, our mission has been to create the premier global platform for women’s boxing by bringing together the sport’s biggest champions and delivering the biggest fights.

“Skye shares that vision and ambition, and together we’re excited to help create the defining moments of the next chapter of her career, beginning with her world title defense against another outstanding former champion in Miyo Yoshida on Saturday, August 29.”

Miyo Yoshida is a three-time, two-division world champion from Kagoshima, Japan. A former IBF Bantamweight World Champion and two-time WBO Junior Bantamweight World Champion, Yoshida has established herself as one of Japan’s most accomplished female fighters.

She made history as one of only a handful of Japanese women to win world titles in multiple weight classes and has earned recognition for her technical skill, resilience, and championship pedigree. Known as the “Fighting Single Mother” in Japan, Yoshida is a former The Ring Most Inspirational Female Fighter award recipient and a revered role model both inside and outside the ring.

After relocating to the United States, she now trains at the legendary Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, New York. Yoshida most recently earned a victory over Edith de Jesus Flores in April 2026, following a unanimous decision win over Beata Dudek in February 2025. She captured the IBF Bantamweight World Title with a dominant unanimous decision over Ebanie Bridges in December 2023 after accepting the fight on less than two weeks’ notice.

“Many people see Skye Nicolson as the favorite and I understand why as she is an excellent fighter,” said Miyo Yoshida.

“But I have dedicated my life to boxing and I am prepared to give everything for this opportunity. I promise the fans will see a fearless Miyo Yoshida.

“I will bring the heart of Japan, my experience as a three-time World Champion and everything I have into this fight. On fight night, I believe the world will see me crowned as the new WBC Super Bantamweight Champion.”

About Matchroom Boxing

After the success of snooker in the 1980s, Matchroom Sport moved into boxing with two small hall shows followed by Frank Bruno v Joe Bugner at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground – the biggest boxing event of 1987. That launched the company into the boxing big-time, a position it has maintained ever since.

Through the 1990s Matchroom Sport’s boxing roster featured many of the biggest names in the sport including Lennox Lewis, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and Naseem Hamed, all in world title fights and it continues to work with some of the biggest names in UK boxing including Audley Harrison, the 2000 Olympic Super-Heavyweight gold medalist.

Over the years, Matchroom Sport has built up long-standing relationships with broadcasters around the world and with the advent of the Prizefighter phenomenon, the company’s boxing division has never been in a stronger position.

From fantastic six round scraps between the sport’s journeymen, up to multi-million-dollar World Championship contests featuring the above fighters, the Pro Box series has it all. Each show is packed with the very best in boxing action in a series that encompasses almost 25 years of Matchroom Sport’s commitment to bringing the highest quality to the global television market.

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) was founded in August 2021 by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian with a fighter first ethos. Since inception, MVP has produced 30 live boxing events, currently promoting nearly 60 fighters, 16 world champions, and 26 top contenders.

MVP has led boxing’s evolution in the streaming era through partnerships with the world’s leading platforms. In November 2024, MVP’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2 was the first-ever live professional sports event streamed on Netflix. Paul vs. Tyson shattered records, becoming the most-streamed sporting event of all time with 125 million live viewers worldwide. MVP went on to partner with Netflix twice in 2025 for MVP’s Taylor vs. Serrano 3 and Jake vs. Joshua: Judgment Day.

Today, MVP is the global home of women’s boxing. MVP’s Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano in 2022 was the first female fight to headline Madison Square Garden, while Taylor vs. Serrano 2 in 2024 saw 74 million viewers globally on Netflix and became the most-watched professional women’s sports event in US history with 47 million AMA in the US. Their 2025 trilogy on Netflix topped an all-women’s megacard that set the official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the most world championship belts ever contested on a single fight card, male or female, with 17 world titles, earning nearly 6 million viewers globally.

About Sky

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