MVP on ESPN women’s boxing: Can Baumgardner become a star?

The women’s boxing schedule is filling up with several intriguing title fights, including Alycia Baumgardner against Bo Mi Re Shin and a rematch between Stephanie Han and Holly Holm. Both bouts fall under the Most Valuable Promotions banner, which on Friday announced a multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN.

Baumgardner looks like one of the future faces of women’s boxing and will have plenty of options at 130 and 135 pounds if she wins. One possibility is a rematch with Terri Harper, whom Baumgardner stopped with one of the most impressive knockouts of 2021. Harper, however, has a major challenge ahead when she faces Caroline Dubois in a lightweight unification bout in London on April 5, with the winner likely emerging as the fighter to beat at 135 pounds.

Meanwhile, Chantelle Cameron — the only fighter to defeat Katie Taylor as a professional — is seeking a trilogy bout with the Irish star. But first, she moves up two divisions to face Michaela Kotaskova for a vacant junior middleweight title on the Dubois-Harper undercard. Can Cameron win and then return to her natural weight for a winner-takes-all clash with Taylor?

There are other matchups with significant stakes as well.

The first meeting between Han and Holm ended in a disappointing technical decision victory for Han after she suffered a cut over her right eye caused by an accidental headbutt. Holm, a Hall of Famer, could be staring at the end of her career if she loses the rematch.

Unified super middleweight champion Shadasia Green appears on course for a potential megafight with ESPN’s top pound-for-pound fighter, Claressa Shields, but she must get past Lani Daniels first.

Andreas Hale and Nick Parkinson break down these matchups and share their thoughts on what’s at stake.

Can Alycia Baumgardner be the face of MVP’s women’s boxing?

Yes.Baumgardner has the charisma, youth and ability to carry MVP’s women’s boxing on her back. She’s already demonstrated excellent knockout power with her finish of Terri Harper in 2021, an ever-evolving skill set that resulted in an impressive win over Mikaela Mayer in 2022 to unify three junior lightweight world titles, and a personality that will make you either love her or hate her. And while she already has undisputed status at 130 pounds, it’s now a matter of putting it all together when the spotlight is the brightest.

Baumgardner was given prime real estate in her first two fights under the MVP banner with co-main event slots on the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano 3 and Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua fight cards. Even though she won by a wide margin in those two fights — against Jennifer Miranda and Leila Beaudoin — neither fight was perceived as a breakout performance. Baumgardner, ESPN’s No. 7-ranked pound-for-pound women’s boxer, will have the opportunity to impress as the headliner on April 17 against Bo Mi Re Shin in defense of her WBO, IBF and WBA junior lightweight titles at The Theater inside Madison Square Garden in New York.

Her opponent wasn’t chosen by accident, as Shin gave WBC lightweight champion and Baumgardner rival Caroline Dubois all she could handle in March 2025 in a majority decision loss. MVP is going to give Baumgardner every opportunity to excel and become a superstar; she’ll just have to seize the moment. — Hale

Should the Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper winner unify the division or wait for Alycia Baumgardner to move up?

While being undisputed brings prestige and is a mighty achievement, a fight against Baumgardner, who reigns at junior lightweight, is likely to be more lucrative for the winner of Dubois vs. Harper in London on April 5.

Dubois, the WBC lightweight champion, faces English rival Harper, the WBO titleholder, in the biggest fight of her career so far. And a fight against Baumgardner will be bigger than facing any of the other champions at lightweight – IBF titleholder Elif Nur Turhan, who is a dangerous puncher, and the much taller Stephanie Han, the WBA champ). Harper is more experienced than Dubois and has previously been in big fights against Baumgardner, Cecilia Braekhus, Natasha Jonas, and Sandy Ryan. But Harper could also prioritize a rematch with Baumgardner — who stopped her in four rounds in November 2021 — over unifying the belts. Harper lost the WBC junior lightweight belt when she was blown away by Baumgardner in one of the best KOs of the year and might take a chance to get revenge over winning another belt.

Baumgardner would have to step up a division from junior lightweight, where she holds three belts, to face either Dubois or Harper. — Parkinson

Is Shadasia Green vs. Claressa Shields the biggest match to make in women’s boxing right now?

Yes, but because of a unique set of circumstances. There are plenty of big fights to be made in women’s boxing. Katie Taylor’s swan song will get a lot of attention, as would a fight between Shields and welterweight champion and fellow pound-for-pound fighter Mikaela Mayer. But what makes the fight between Shields and Green different is the promotional machine behind it. MVP and the platform it offers, with both ESPN and Netflix broadcasting, would push a Shields-Green fight to the moon in terms of reach. For all that Shields has accomplished, she has yet to compete on a stage as big as what MVP has to offer, and working with Jake Paul would expand her reach.

Green also serves as the antithesis to Shields, with raw power that offsets any shortcomings in her natural boxing ability. Although she dropped a decision to Franchon Crews Dezurn, whom Shields defeated twice, Green’s impressive comeback win against Savannah Marshall inJuly 2025 proved that she’s still growing as a fighter and hasn’t quite reached her peak. Add in the fact that the trash talk between these two women would be tremendous and you have everything you need to make this the biggest matchup in women’s boxing today.

Green will first be tasked with knocking off former light heavyweight champion Lani Daniels on April 17. If she does, expect her to lay down the gauntlet for the Shields fight. It’ll be up to Shields and her promoter, Salita Promotions, to decide which direction the undisputed women’s heavyweight champion will go next. — Hale

Where does a win put Ellie Scotney on the ESPN women’s P4P list?

Scotney, 27, can become the youngest undisputed champion in UK history — male or female — if she defeats WBA junior featherweight champion Mayelli Flores to unify all four major belts in his hometown of London on April 5. Scotney, the WBC, IBF and WBO champion, had two good wins in 2025 — against Yamileth Mercado and Mea Motu — which prompted me to vote her at No. 10 in my pound-for-pound rankings — and a win against Flores should help her case in cracking the top 10. — Parkinson

How much does Holly Holm have left, and what would a Stephanie Han victory mean?

Holm ended a 12-year hiatus from boxing to sign with MVP in May 2025. The 2022 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, who is a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, knocked the rust off with a unanimous decision against Yolanda Vega. But in her next fight, Holm was losing on the scorecards 65-69, 65-68 and 64-69 against Han before Han suffered a cut caused by an unintentional clash of heads, ending the fight in the seventh round, with Han taking a technical decision win. They’ll meet again on May 30 in Han’s hometown of El Paso, Texas.

Holm, 44, will have a significant hill to climb in the rematch with Han being nine years younger, faster and the undefeated WBA women’s lightweight champion. Facing Han in just her second boxing match after her MMA run was a tall task for the multiple-time boxing world champion, but it was clear Holm didn’t want to waste any time with tune-up fights. Holm is at the tail end of her combat sports career, and this can be viewed as a “now or never” moment for her championship aspirations. Would she retire with a second consecutive loss?

As for Han, another victory over Holm — who is still a significant name in combat sports — would be a big step forward for her marketability. Han should beat Holm in the rematch, but as the headliner on ESPN, she’ll have a larger audience, including many who have never seen her compete. A definitive win would enhance her profile, and in a division that includes fellow champions Terri Harper, Caroline Dubois and the hard-hitting Elif Nur Turhan, Han would have some interesting options to unify the titles. — Hale

Will a win get Chantelle Cameron a trilogy fight against Katie Taylor?

Cameron is on the shortlist to face Taylor this summer, but she can’t be sure of securing a trilogy fight with her rival, despite their history.

Taylor might be on top of Cameron’s wish list, but she faces competition to n what could be Taylor’s final fight. Taylor recently announced she wants a final fight, preferably at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium this summer.

Cameron, who faces Michaela Kotaskova for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title in London on April 5, is the only fighter to beat Taylor in the professional ranks. Cameron edged Taylor in a majority decision win in May 2023 before Taylor avenged that loss with a decision win six months later.

A trilogy fight is probably the biggest possible fight to make for Taylor, but WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight champion Lauren Price, who defends her belts against Stephanie Piñeiro at the Cardiff International Arena on April 4, told ESPN this week she has been offered a fight with Taylor for later this year.

Taylor, who holds three versions of the junior welterweight world title and has not fought since her trilogy win over Amanda Serrano in July 2025, may be tempted for a showdown against Price, especially if Cameron doesn’t want to drop down to welterweight or junior welterweight. — Parkinson