Opinions about Jake Paul’s involvement in the boxing world have been mixed.
On the one hand, Paul (9-1) has turned boxing into a circus, often finding an assortment of retirees, UFC fighters and amateurs to parade in front of an impressionable, young audience as though they could provide an equal challenge.
Yet, his influence in the world of boxing promotion cannot be understated, having done wonderful things for women’s pound-for-pound star Amanda Serrano (46-2-1) and many developing boxers from Puerto Rico, Cuba and the United States.
Certainly, whilst Paul clashes with UFC viral phenomenon and bare-knuckle king Mike ‘Platinum’ Perry (0-1), the true diamond of the event will come by way of the undercard, with many of the match-ups set to test Paul’s assortment of growing stars.
Heading this, of course, is the aforementioned Amanda Serrano, the reigning queen of the featherweight division. ‘The Real Deal’ is keeping activity at the forefront of her mind; with her bout against Katie Taylor (23-1) postponed, she has elected to stay-busy against Stevie Morgan (14-1).
Despite the divide of experience between the two, Morgan will be out to prove that her nickname of ‘Sledgehammer’ is certainly warranted.
Bouncing back-and-forth from the United States to Colombia, Morgan is sure to have learnt a few tricks along the way; tricks that have bestowed upon her the WBF Intercontinental Lightweight title and a shot at the reigning unified champion of the featherweight division.
For Serrano, this fight can only be to her benefit. After all, much like her bout with Spanish bull Miriam Gutierrez (15-2) at the tail end of 2021, this will allow Serrano to adjust to lightweight and gain some extra mileage with the additional weight.
Although, Serrano is not the only female draw to the card. ‘The Sweet Terminator’ Sashida Green (13-1) is set to begin the rebuilding process after losing to super-middleweight supreme Franchon Crews Dezurn (9-2) in her first bid at the WBC World Super-Middleweight title.
Here, she has been paired with Canadian ‘Nightmare’ Natasha Spence (8-4-2); a fighter who has found herself confused about weight over the years. This fight will certainly be one that provides jeopardy to the one-time world challenger, with Green seemingly set to challenge for world honours once more, given a year or two.
Another fighter under MVP Promotions, Ashton Sylve (11-0) will be bringing his liquid style to the proceedings against Canadian ‘Prince’ Lucas Badhi (16-0) of Niagara Falls.
The current holder of the IBF North American Lightweight title, Badhi will have to contend with more ‘H2O’ than his surroundings would suggest with Sylve, who is swiftly being billed as one of MVP’s biggest names.
Badhi will be the first undefeated fighter the 20-year-old Sylve has contended with, but with definitive wins over the likes of William Silva (30-5) and Estivan Falcao (13-4), Sylvie will likely prevail; especially with the golden carrot of an appearance on the Paul-Tyson undercard serving as motivation.
Impressive lightweight Tony Aguilar (12-0-1) looks to continue beating the unbeaten when he faces fellow Floridian Corey Marksman (9-0-1). Aguilar is also a developing talent, one who will certainly feature prominently rather soon, given his propensity to put on a display worthy of the spectacle that MVP Promotions seek.
So, having run through these match-ups, it is clear that – despite his antics – Paul clearly has a sharp eye for advancing emerging talent and giving them the platform necessary to achieve; which, regardless of Paul’s reputation, should be commended.
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