SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – January 30, 2024 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced international superstar Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) will face professional boxer Ryan “The Rhino” Bourland (17-2, 6 KOs) on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico as Paul continues to face more experienced opponents on the path to becoming a world champion. Paul vs. Bourland, an 8-round cruiserweight fight, will be the co-main event alongside Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) vs. Nina Meinke (18-3, 4 KOs), presented by CELSIUS Live Fit. Essential Energy, which marks Amanda Serrano’s first fight in Puerto Rico since becoming the island’s first undisputed world boxing champion, male or female. Bourland, Paul’s toughest match to date, brings years of experience and success to the ring against Paul in his 20th professional bout with more wins and knockouts than any of Paul’s previous opponents. Serrano vs. Meinke, featuring Paul vs. Bourland, will be offered as part of the DAZN subscription package to ensure it is affordable and accessible to fans worldwide, with Jake Paul also set to donate his full fight purse to his nonprofit, Boxing Bullies, to renovate youth boxing gyms across Puerto Rico. Tickets are now on sale at Ticketera.com.

Paul vs. Bourland will mark Paul’s first entrance into the ring this year following his most impressive performance to date on Friday, December 15, in which he secured a viral, first round knockout of three-time Golden Glove winner Andre August for his ninth professional win. Paul showed tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion and added another highlight to his already impressive reel. Since turning pro in 2020, Paul has collected multiple accolades for his commitment to the sport of boxing, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, and was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, awarded specifically for his groundbreaking work to revolutionize the sport through equitable pay, providing a platform for young fighters, and his support of female boxers. Paul also recently announced a partnership with USA Boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, continuing his mission to elevate the sport and its future champions.

Paul also continued his record-breaking streak in his latest fight by achieving the highest recorded gate for a boxing event in Orlando’s history. Paul vs. August also broke the record for highest average ticket price, matching the average ticket price of Paul’s latest fight vs. Nate Diaz at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The upcoming Serrano vs. Meinke and Paul vs. Bourland event is expected to be yet another record-shattering night for Paul, Serrano, and Most Valuable Promotions.

“I’ve always said my goal is to become a world champion. I beat a pro boxer in December in the first round, someone who’s been boxing their entire life, and what did I do next? I went straight back to camp to get ready to face my next opponent, a professional boxer who has twice as many professional fights under his belt than I do,” said Jake Paul. “It’s a new year, it’s an even better me, and I’m facing an even more experienced, seasoned boxer on Saturday, March 2 as co-main to the Puerto Rican GOAT, Amanda Serrano. I’m fighting for experience, not for the money, and to show my love for this beautiful island I’ll be donating my entire fight purse from this event to my nonprofit Boxing Bullies to help renovate gyms across Puerto Rico.”

Ryan “Rhino” Bourland, born June 17, 1988 has a professional boxing record of 17-2-0 (6 KO). He grew up in Vallejo, California where he started learning how to box in the sixth grade. Ryan had over 15 amateur bouts, was a Golden Gloves Champion and fought in the National Junior Olympics. Ryan’s professional boxing record began at age 25. Ryan was recognized as Northern California’s Fighter of the year by Inside The Ropes Boxing in 2016. In 2018 Ryan won the regional light heavyweight GBO title in his fight against Jose Hernandez II. Throughout Ryan’s career he has always given back to the community by coaching boxing to local youth and adults. Ryan was featured sparring in the movie “Pride Jewel” (2022). Bourland comes to the ring vs. Paul off a three-fight winning streak, including his latest bout against Santario Martin, which Bourland ended with a decisive fifth round knockout. Martin previously went the distance with Paul’s last opponent, Andre August. At 17-2 with six KO’s, Bourland has proven his tenacity and skill in the ring. With just two losses in his professional career, Bourland is a determined and steady fighter and is Paul’s toughest opponent to date. 

“Jake Paul steps into the ring with his social media clout, but let’s not mistake followers for experience or skill,” said Ryan Bourland. “While he’s been busy chasing likes, I’ve been honing my craft for years, stepping into the ring and beating real boxers. On Saturday, March 2 I will shock the world and put an end to Jake Paul’s boxing career.”

“Jake Paul has broken record after record and in this fight, he’s once again showing what a tremendous person he is as well,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP. “Not only is Jake taking on yet another more experienced professional boxer in Ryan Bourland, but he’s also supporting Amanda Serrano as she headlines this historic event at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico, demonstrating his and MVP’s commitment to equality in the sport. I applaud Jake’s continued commitment to giving back to the youth after he announced he is donating his entire purse from this fight to Boxing Bullies so the organization can continue their mission of renovating boxing gyms to give boys and girls a positive environment to learn. The world continues to watch Jake, and he continues to deliver. Thank you to DAZN for working with us to make this event available to fans around the world and to Celsius for their continued support and partnership. Serrano vs. Meinke featuring Paul vs. Bourland is going to be historic and we can’t wait to bring this amazing card to Puerto Rico.”

Also featured on the Serrano vs. Meinke and Paul vs. Bourland card on Saturday, March 2 will be Javon “Wanna” Walton, who will make his highly-anticipated global debut as MVP’s latest signee, WBO junior flyweight world champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs) vs. fellow Puerto Rican talent Rene Santiago (12-3, 9 KOs), and finally in a battle of Puerto Rico vs. Mexico, the young, super flyweight sensation Kystal Roado (2-0, 1 KO), is set to face 5-0 Gloria Munguilla in the toughest test yet of her career. Rosado’s fight will be 4 x 3:00, following Amanda’s lead of fighting 3 minute rounds. The event marks Amanda Serrano’s first fight in Puerto Rico since becoming undisputed champion, with a sellout crowd expected to honor her as Puerto Rico’s first-ever undisputed world boxing champion, male or female. Serrano will fight for the second time at 12×3, the men’s championship standard, in defense of her unified IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine featherweight world titles. In a true commitment to change for women’s boxing, Serrano recently vacated her WBC title, as the sanctioning body does not support women’s choice for 12×3.

Serrano vs. Meinke is MVP’s latest women’s championship fight as the company works to establish equity across the sport. The bout follows Amanda Serrano’s first-ever 12×3 unified championship fight in October and the Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green vs. Franchón Crews-Dezurn WBC super middleweight and WBA Interim world title bout in December. 

Serrano vs. Meinke will air live globally on DAZN. Spartan Boxing INC. will serve as the official licensed promoter of Serrano vs. Meinke. This event is sponsored by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy. For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @rhino707, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

How to watch DAZN 

• Visit DAZN.com and follow the steps to sign up now
• Once signed up, download the DAZN app to watch on any device
• Go to the app store on your chosen device, search ‘DAZN’ and download the DAZN app  
• DAZN is available on your phone, tablet, smart TV, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles. 
• Connect multiple devices to your account to watch at home or on the go  

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.? 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

?

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??

NEW YORK, NY – December 21, 2023 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced unified featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) will make her long-awaited return to Puerto Rico vs. IBF mandatory challenger Nina Meinke (18-3, 4 KOs) on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico, live globally on DAZN. This event, sponsored by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, marks Amanda Serrano’s first fight in Puerto Rico since becoming undisputed champion, with a sellout crowd expected to honor her as Puerto Rico’s first-ever undisputed world boxing champion, male or female. Serrano will fight for the second time at 12×3, the men’s championship standard, in defense of her unified IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine featherweight world titles. In a true commitment to change for women’s boxing, Serrano recently vacated her WBC title, as the sanctioning body does not support women’s choice for 12×3. 

Co-headlining alongside Serrano will be international superstar Jake “The Problem Child” Paul (8-1, 5 KOs) who will continue his path towards becoming cruiserweight world champion in his 10th professional fight fresh off his first-round KO of professional boxer Andre August. Making his highly-anticipated global debut on the Saturday, March 2 card will be MVP’s latest signee, multi-talented featherweight boxer, actor, and model Javon “Wanna” Walton. Also competing on Serrano vs. Meinke will be Serrano’s first two signed Puerto Rican fighters, WBO junior flyweight world champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs), who will make his third defense of his title, and the young super flyweight sensation Krystal Rosado (2-0, 1 KO). Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, December 27th at 9:00am ET on Ticketera.com. There will be a kickoff press conference on Thursday,  January 18th in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico as part of the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián. The press conference will feature all of the star athletes from the event.

Amanda Serrano, the first-ever Puerto Rican undisputed world champion, started her current featherweight title reign by defeating Heather Hardy in a brutal 10-round fight in 2019 to win the WBO belt, and has since defended her WBO belt six times. Serrano offered Hardy redemption in August 2023, but successfully defended her undisputed featherweight world champion title for the first time in a decisive 10 round unanimous decision victory. Serrano also won a blood-soaked war against WBA featherweight champion Erika Cruz in February 2023, which made her the undisputed featherweight champion. Serrano’s decisive win against Cruz followed her previous win over Sarah Mahfoud in Manchester, England that added the Dane’s IBF title to her WBO, WBC, and IBO featherweight belts. Her historic clash against Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in 2022 earned recognition as Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year and The Ring’s Event of the Year and was further nominated for Event of the Year by Sports Business Journal. Most recently, Serrano took home a unanimous decision victory against her mandatory WBO challenger Danila Ramos, making history in the first-ever women’s unified world championship to be fought over 12, three-minute rounds, equal to any men’s championship fight, and marking the first time a women’s fight has gone the full 12×3. Serrano threw a career high of 1103 punches in the bout.

“It is absolutely a dream come true to fight and headline at home at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, and it is my biggest honor to have been the first-ever undisputed champion, male or female, from our beautiful island,” said Amanda Serrano. “I’m excited to prove my greatness and make history again in the ring at the Choliseo over 12, three-minute rounds. Thank you to the IBF, WBO, WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine, Most Valuable Promotions, and my team for making this possible. A special thank you to Jake Paul, who gave me an opportunity to fight as his co-main many times and allowed me to show my skills to the world. I am honored to have Jake as my co-main for the first time.”

Nina “The Brave” Meinke, the Berlin, Germany native, comes to the ring ready to rise to the challenge Serrano presents and make history as the second-ever women’s unified championship fight set for 12 rounds with three minute rounds. The IBF mandatory featherweight challenger has garnered recognition throughout Europe following a series of interim title fights, most recently claiming the WBA Gold World Featherweight title against Japan’s Kimika Miyoshi in June 2023 and the IBF Inter-Continental Featherweight title against Laura Ledezma in October 2023. 

“My team and I have wanted this fight for a long time,” said Nina Meinke. “Finally we got it and I am happy, well trained and motivated to be the first female boxer from Germany to go the 12 round distance. Amanda Serrano is an outstanding person who has already made such a big change to women’s boxing and the fight for equal rights, so I am more than proud to be a part of that movement. Of course I am going to support it with all my heart and show the world women are just as capable in going 12 rounds at 3 minutes. I will be the best version of myself on this day and I am ready to make it a great fight! And new!” 

Jake Paul makes his triumphant return to the ring on Saturday, March 2nd following his first round KO obliteration of Andre August on December 15th, a jaw dropping right uppercut sure to be a KO of the year contender. Paul’s co-main appearance on Serrano vs. Meinke will continue to showcase Paul’s ongoing journey to become a world champion. Facing his first loss at the hands of Tommy Fury in February by a contentious split decision, Paul found himself back on top in August, defeating Nate Diaz by unanimous decision, before his first-round finish against August. In just three years since turning pro, Paul has collected multiple accolades, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of The Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, and ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year. Paul also earned distinction on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s August 2023 issue, “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports,” for his success in the ring, his groundbreaking work to revolutionize pay equality in boxing, and his support of female fighters and boxing prospects through Most Valuable Promotions alongside co-founder Nakisa Bidarian. 

“Fighting for the first time at home in Puerto Rico alongside one of the greatest fighters ever, Amanda Serrano, promises to be the event of a lifetime,” said Jake Paul. “I’m honored to be the co-main event on Amanda’s homecoming card, and I could not be more excited to bring this historic event to Puerto Rico as I continue my path to becoming a world champion. Our latest MVP signee, Wanna Walton, is making his global debut on this card, Bomba Gonzalez and Krystal Rosado are continuing their rise to stardom, and the whole island of Puerto Rico will finally get a chance to properly celebrate the greatness of Amanda Serrano. She is going to sell more tickets in one event than Katie Taylor did in two in Dublin. This is going to be the biggest night of boxing the Choliseo has ever seen and the world will be watching.” 

17-year-old Wanna Walton signed with MVP in July 2023, and has since remained an amateur boxer in development. As the youngest-ever athlete to sign with Nike’s Jordan Brand, Walton has continued to excel as a boxer and now will make his global debut in MVP’s first marquee event of 2024. Walton began boxing at the age of four, and at age eight became one of America’s youngest amateur prospects. His skill and hard work earned him the title of multi-time Junior Regional Champion and two-time Junior Olympic national silver medalist. The Atlanta native is also a world-renowned actor who captured international attention with his debut role as the beloved drug dealer “Ashtray” in the HBO Max Emmy-winning series Euphoria starring alongside Hollywood icons Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney, and has since continued to co-star in numerous other film and TV titles. He trains under his father and coach, DJ Walton.

“I’ve been training most of my life for this moment, and it is an honor to make my global debut beside my fellow MVP athletes Amanda Serrano and Jake Paul,” said Wanna Walton. “Nakisa and the whole MVP team have become like a second family to me, and they are incredible mentors who truly believe in my talent. I’m ready to prove them right in the ring on Saturday, March 2 and start my path to greatness and I couldn’t be more excited to do it in Puerto Rico.”

Also starring on the Saturday, March 2 Serrano vs. Meinke card will be two other local Puerto Rican athletes. Amanda Serrano’s first signed fighters, WBO junior flyweight champion Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez and young sensation Krystal Rosado, will each feature on the main card of Serrano vs. Meinke. The 32-year-old Gonzalez made his professional debut in 2011 following an impressive amateur career in which he collected gold medals at both the 2008 Youth World Championships and the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games at flyweight. Bomba Gonzalez won his first title in just his ninth fight as a professional, and has gone on to hold the WBO junior flyweight title since 2021. Rosado, the young 21-year-old sensation, made her MVP and professional debut at MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects II show in August 2023, stunning fans with a ferocious second-round KO against Tarrethia Dixon. Rosado went on to compete on MVP’s historic Serrano vs. Ramos card in October 2023, earning her decisive second win over Hungary’s Kata Pap.

“First, I want to thank God for this big opportunity. I want to thank my managers, Amanda Serrano and Jordan Maldonado, MVP, and the WBO for giving me this opportunity to defend my title on my island of Puerto Rico,” said Bomba Gonzalez. “This is big. Fighting on this card with Amanda Serrano is going to be a highlight of my career and hopefully, I can continue fighting at home in Puerto Rico.”

“I’m happy and honored to get this opportunity to fight again on the undercard with my manager and PR boxing queen Amanda Serrano,” said Krystal Rosado. “Also being on a card with Jake Paul is incredible, and if that wasn’t enough, it’s in the Choliseo where even most of the greats from my island haven’t fought in. I’m also proud to be on the same card alongside my managerial teammate Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez who will defend his title in a tough fight. This card is one that I wouldn’t have missed if I wasn’t on it. Thank you God, Amanda, and MVP for making this humble up-and-comer’s dream come true. To all my fans, I won’t disappoint!”

“It is an honor for Jake and I to work with Amanda on her historic return to Puerto Rico. While she fought in San Juan during the pandemic, this event on Saturday, March 2nd will be her true homecoming. A massive event for a massive Puerto Rican icon,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “The magnitude of this event is such that Jake Paul demanded he be the co-main to Amanda for the first time, which reflects the starpower and legacy of Amanda Serrano in boxing and in Puerto Rico. We are also thrilled to bring Wanna Walton to the stage for his MVP global debut, and are certain he’s going to put on an incredible show and prove that he is one of the most talented future superstars of this sport. With Bomba and Krystal on this card, too, we’ll be featuring some of the most exciting talent from start to finish on this unforgettable night of boxing from San Juan to the world. This will undoubtedly be the most viewed Puerto Rican boxing event in history.”

“We are thrilled to be broadcasting this unmissable double-header on DAZN in March 2024,” said Alfie Sharman, VP DAZN. “Amanda Serrano and Jake Paul are two of the biggest names in boxing, and to have them join our already stacked new year schedule once again highlights DAZN as the global home of boxing. Watch these excellent matchups exclusively live only on DAZN.”

Serrano vs. Meinke marks the latest in MVP’s series of significant women’s championship fights as the company works to establish equity across the sport. The event follows Amanda Serrano’s first-ever 12×3 unified championship fight vs. challenger Danila Ramos in October and the Paul vs. August special championship feature of MVP’s Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green vs. Franchón Crews-Dezurn for the WBC and WBA super middleweight world titles. Spartan Boxing INC. will serve as the official licensed promoter of Serrano vs. Meinke. 

For more information, follow on Twitter via @Serranosisters, @JakePaul, @MostVPromotions, and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @serranosisters, @JakePaul, @MostValuablePromotions, and @DAZNBoxing.

How to watch DAZN 

• Visit DAZN.com and follow the steps to sign up now
• Once signed up, download the DAZN app to watch on any device
• Go to the app store on your chosen device, search ‘DAZN’ and download the DAZN app  
• DAZN is available on your phone, tablet, smart TV, streaming devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and gaming consoles. 
• Connect multiple devices to your account to watch at home or on the go  

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

About DAZN

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.? Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world – Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.? 

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match through the NFL Game Pass International add-on subscription. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.? DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.?

?

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialize, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.?

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to a ground-breaking rights catalog and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including PlayStation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and can find the app on their iPhone, iPad, and android mobile devices. DAZN is available as an Amazon Channel on Amazon Prime TV and can be viewed on Channel 429 on Sky in the UK and Ireland.   

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries. For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?www.dazngroup.com.??

NEW YORK, NY – July 24, 2023 – Today, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced it has signed Javon “Wanna” Walton, boxing prodigy and actor best known for his role as “Ashtray” on the Emmy-winning series Euphoria. Fighting at 125 pounds, Walton has over 80 amateur bouts under his belt, which include wins in multiple junior amateur tournaments and five Georgia state titles. MVP, founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021, will utilize Bidarian’s media, sports and finance acumen to advise Walton on brand building, content creation, and marketing of events along with Paul’s viral content creation and marketing genius. MVP will advise him as he finishes out the remainder of his amateur career and prepares to make his professional debut in 2024. Walton will make his first MVP appearance as a participant in the open workouts on Wednesday, August 2nd, in Dallas, TX, as part of the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz fight week.

“I’ve been training so hard and working for the majority of my life for this moment. MVP feels like family and that’s very important to me. I know they can help me reach my goals in professional boxing and do it in a way that feels special to me.” said, Walton.

Walton, who turned 17 two days ago, will remain an amateur boxer in development with MVP, and will join MVP’s elite roster of superstar athletes and up-and-coming stars including Jake Paul, undisputed Featherweight World Champion Amanda Serrano, prolific top boxing prospect Ashton Sylve, and power-puncher Shadasia Green. As the youngest-ever athlete to sign with Nike’s Jordan Brand, Walton will continue to excel as a boxer and compete in MVP’s future marquee events and Most Valuable Prospects showcase series. He will continue training under his father and coach, DJ Walton.

Walton got his start at the age of four when he became one of America’s youngest amateur prospects. His skill and hard work earned him the title of multi-time Junior Regional Champion and two-time Junior Olympic national silver medalist. In addition to his boxing chops, Walton was also a USA Gymnastics-ranked elite rising star and was named to their exclusive Future Star program at age eight, one of only seven in the southeast. Walton continued on to compete at the elite level in trampoline and floor tumbling (TNT), finishing with top three in the nation with a silver medal in all-round in 2016. Walton is the first and only athlete in the state of Georgia to hold the youth gymnastics all-around and USA Boxing/Silver Gloves boxing champion state titles simultaneously. 

The Atlanta native is also a world-renowned actor who captured international attention with his debut role as the beloved drug dealer “Ashtray” in the HBO Max Emmy-winning series Euphoria starring alongside Hollywood icons Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney. Walton’s credits also include roles in Season 3 of Netflix’s Umbrella Academy, the Amazon Prime Video series Utopia, MGM’s SAMARITAN, where he starred opposite Sylvester Stallone, and BRON Studios and MGM’s animated comedy The Addams Family 2, where he made his voice acting debut as Pugsley Addams. Walton will also star in Hulu’s upcoming true-crime mini-series release, Under the Bridge, where he plays a main character alongside Riley Keough. 

Walton has garnered an impressive social audience of over 13 million followers across his platforms and has become one of the most marketable names for premiere athletic and consumer brands. At only eight years old, he was the youngest athlete identified by Under Armour and became one of seven athletes to be crowned ‘NEXT,’ Under Armour’s youth athlete elite development program. Walton was also featured in the advertising campaign for the Muhammed Ali Collection in 2018 and was prominently highlighted in UA’s Will Finds A Way campaign alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

“We see this as an incredible opportunity to make a big impact on Wanna’s entrance into professional boxing. The way Nakisa and Jake have been able to disrupt the boxing promotion business in such a considerably short period of time is inspiring. We’re honored to be MVP’s youngest signee.” Said Walton’s coach and father, DJ Walton

In addition to acting, Wanna has attracted the attention of major brands like Essentia Water and PSD Underwear. Drake’s OVO then tapped Walton to model another of their collaborations with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Additional brand partnerships for the young star include collaborations with Gap and Venmo, as the face of its new teen card. 

“Wanna Walton is uniquely positioned to become the face of combat sports over the next decade. With an unmatched blend of skills and pedigree, strong values, and a large highly engaged fan base before turning pro, he embodies a true superstar in the making,” said MVP co-founders Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul. “We’re honored to welcome Wanna into our family of exceptional athletes and under MVP, he will be headlining global pay-per-view events in no time. MVP is leading a new era of boxing and Wanna is the future. We can’t wait to see his greatness unfold.”

Founded with the mission to give athletes creative control, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its talent partners and events. As one of the most successful and iconic creators in the world, Paul has one of the largest followings on YouTube, with over 70 million followers across his digital platforms – creating an invaluable built-in marketing system that coordinates with his efforts in the ring. His co-founder, the former CFO of UFC, former CEO and Co-Founder of Fertitta Capital and founder of BAVAFA Sports, Bidarian, has demonstrated a deep understanding of corporate finance, content creation and operational strategy working together to build successful businesses. 

Together, Paul and Bidarian have architected Jake Paul’s meteoric rise in combat sports. In 2021, MVP signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano and since signing with the company, she has become Undisputed Featherweight Champion. Her historic clash against Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in 2022 earned recognition as Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year, The Ring’s Event of the Year and was further nominated for Event of the Year by Sports Business Journal. The event marked a pivotal point in women’s sports history as the first-time women have headlined a main event at the world-renowned venue in New York City. MVP’s other signees include the prolific undefeated young boxing prospect Ashton “H20” Sylve and one of boxing’s most powerful female punchers, Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green.

For more information, follow on Twitter via @JakePaul @MostVPromotions and @OnwardWanna, or on Instagram via @JakePaul, @MostValuablePromotions, and @OnwardWanna.

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

Most Valuable Promotions was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP has produced Jake Paul’s last four global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Fury match, which surpassed 800,000 Pay-per-view buys worldwide. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head-to-head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.