For the first time in nearly three-and-a-half years, Jake Paul will not be the main event on a boxing card.
Paul, who has become one of the faces of the sport, as well as a successful promoter, has maybe his toughest bout yet with Ryan Bourland on Saturday. Bourland is the most experienced fighter Paul has faced, with 19 professional fights under his belt (he has won 17 of them).
However, in perhaps a rare move for Paul, who boasts dozens of millions of social media followers, he is taking a backseat on his own card in order to give a female boxing legend a proper homecoming.
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Amanda Serrano, who inked a deal with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in 2021, the year it was founded, will be fighting her 50th professional match this Saturday in her native Puerto Rico at the island’s famed Coliseo, and a sellout of the 18,500 person arena is expected.
Since his boxing career, Paul has actually made the island home to get away from the constant media and focus on training. However, despite his celebrity status, and fighting in his new home, making the Puerto Rican native the main event “wasn’t even a question.”
“I just always wanted that for her. This is her moment, and her time to shine,” Paul said to Fox News Digital before Saturday’s fight. “It’s just so cool to support her. She really deserves this moment and has worked so hard for it. I’m happy to be a fan. The pressure is off of you when you’re not the main event, but you hear the crowd is much louder for her out there. So that’s why this is her spot, her time to shine.”
Serrano headlined at Madison Square Garden against Katie Taylor in 2022. It was the first women’s boxing match to headline the world’s most famous arena. However, her fight Saturday against Nina Meinke will probably stand out above the rest.
“Super excited. Want it to be over with already,” Serrano said at Thursday’s press conference in San Juan. “It’s been a long buildup, a long camp, trained really hard. I’m mentally and physically ready to put on a great show in the Coliseo, the sold out crowd with a tough, durable opponent.”
For Serrano, there is some added juice, being a female headliner in a male-dominant sport.
“We’re gonna go out there and show that women can fight. We can sell, obviously.”
Paul added, “This is such an important fight for boxing… I feel like it’s going to be one of the loudest events in boxing history.”
Both Paul and Serrano are heavy favorites in their respective bouts, so it is expected to be yet another successful night for MVP.
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