Key Fight Facts:
- Most Valuable Promotions stages its first U.S. event in the new series featuring its women’s roster with championship fights at The Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 17
- MVPW-02 will air on ESPN, the first boxing card on the main network since its contract with Top Rank Boxing ended in August
- Unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner defends her titles against Bo Mi Re Shin of South Korea in the main event; unified super middleweight world champion Shadasia Green defends her titles against Lani Daniels.
The women take over at the Infosys Theatre at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 17 for the inaugural U.S. event, in the new Most Valuable Promotions global series of women’s boxing events, MVPW-02. It airs live on ESPN, starting with prelims on ESPN-Plus at 6:45 p.m. ET/3:45 p.m. PT, and the main card kicks off at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.
It will be the first boxing card on ESPN’s main channel since it ended its contract with Top Rank Boxing last August.
Alycia Baumgardner and Shadasia Green Defend Unified Titles in Dual Main Event
Fans got their final look at the champions and challengers and heard from them at the final pre-fight news conference. The main event featured unified super featherweight world champion Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner of Detroit (17-1, 7 KOs) facing contender Bo Mi Re Shin of South Korea (19-3-3, 10 KOs), rated fourth by the WBA, sixth by the IBF and seventh by the WBO.
Baumgardner and Shin will battle through a scheduled ten rounds at three minutes each.
It’s the super middleweights in the co-main event where unified super middleweight world champion Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green of Paterson, New Jersey (16-1, 11 KOs) takes on challenger Lani Daniels of New Zealand (11-4-2, 1 KO) in a scheduled ten rounds. Daniels is ranked second by the IBF and third by the WBO.
View the press conference on MVP’s YouTube Channel and ESPN+.
Baumgardner is among the most visible American women in boxing. She oozes confidence and it was on full display.
“I have high expectations for myself. It’s never a comparison to say I’m better than the man. It’s just that I can do it as well, and I do it just as good with the high level of boxing that I have, the high IQ that I have. I think people appreciate the style of boxing that I bring,” said Baumgardner.
Baumgardner presented her opponent, Shin, with a South Korean flag, who promised to show it off after she wins. “I have a great respect for Baumgardner. She has a great style of boxing. She’s a strong fighter, but I believe I have more perseverance, and I will show you on Friday.” said Shin, who looked relaxed with no signs of feeling intimidated by the setting or the challenge facing her. “Now it’s time to take her belts (away) for me.”
Baumgardner knows her opponent is coming to fight, but has full confidence she’s got the tools it takes to win. “She is a warrior, just as I know she is. But I’m hungrier, and I’m meaner, and I’m just sharper.”
Baumgardner Focused on Shin; Not Worrying About Caroline Dubois Callouts
Baumgardner says she’s locked in thanks to a great camp, which benefitted her mentally as well as physically, working with trainer Ronnie Shields. Headlining the card is a responsibility she relishes. “Now being the main event and shooting off on ESPN, this is a perfect moment to showcase who Alycia Baumgardner is.”
In her last fight on the undercard of the Taylor vs Serrano 3 trilogy fight at MSG last July, Baumgardner fought 12 full rounds. She said it allowed her to take her time and show her skills. She will only need to go ten rounds on Friday against Shin.
“For this fight, I know that I can fight 12 rounds. I know that I can do three minutes, so now I want to bring in the other parts of me that I know that I can bring out. And that’s just the meaner side, the more aggressive side, the hungrier side, the go-get-it side. That’s what I’m aiming for for fight night.”
Shin said she felt the same way as Baumgardner. “I have always questioned, why should women’s boxing be two minutes, ten rounds, not three minutes, ten rounds, just like men? I have always prepared myself to be ready for three minutes, ten rounds, so no problem.”
Can Shay Green Score Her Second Performance of the Night?
Green comes into the co-main event off one of the biggest victories of her career, unifying titles by defeating Savannah Marshall on the Taylor vs Serrano 3 undercard. She received the bonus for the Performance of the Night. No doubt she’d like to make that a double against Daniels.
Daniels is coming off two decision losses, one to Claressa Shields last July in Detroit, and against undefeated light heavyweight prospect Sara Scheurich of Germany, who’s starting to make waves with a 7-0 record and four knockouts.
But there was no one who seemed happier at MSG on Wednesday than Daniels, living up to her nickname “The Smiling Assassin.”
Although she’s got another formidable challenge in front of her, she feels fortunate to take it on. “For a small country like New Zealand, to be here on the big stage is wicked,” said Daniels.
Green is not taking Daniels lightly after the long, hard road she’s traveled. “You gotta watch Lani Daniels. She’s had opportunities, she’s been a world champion, so my preparation is strictly for Lani Daniels come April 17th. Whatever is next after that, we’ll focus on it after that.”
Green is sure to have plenty of her New Jersey fans in the house on Friday. She’s happy to be at MSG. “This is my second home, and to be the co-main event to Alycia “The Bomb” is always entertaining. You guys got a show on your hands, April 17th, live on ESPN at the Infosys Theater.
“This is home to me and my family. Just a 45-minute drive. I’ve got lucky things happening in this arena so I’m looking forward to it.”
Daniels said she was “very impressed” by Green’s victory over Marshall. “I was a bit envious, actually, because Savannah’s been like my dream fight, like I’ve wanted to fight her the whole time since I started boxing. Perhaps if I win on Friday, I’ll get the opportunity.”
Daniels’ losses have all been above what she considers her natural weight class at super middleweight. “I just like to eat,” she laughed.
Also on the main ESPN card:
Bantamweights: Krystal Rosado-Ortiz of Puerto Rico (8-1, 2 KOs) vs Fernanda Reyes Delgado of Mexico (8-0), eight rounds
Flyweights: Natalie “No Love” Dove of Philadelphia (7-0-1, 2 KOs) vs Maria Micheo Santizo,Sa a native of Guatemala training in California (14-6, 8 KOs), eight rounds
Fighting for Influence
Baumgardner spoke to the moment ahead for all the women on the card, who have all fought battles both inside and outside the ring for their place in boxing and for respect as women athletes. Now they have a platform thanks to the partnership between MVP and ESPN.
“To see women’s sports push forward in a sport like boxing, we need our men, and we need our women. We need cohesiveness. We all share the runway to show the world that influence is important, and we have great women on this stage who can show that, as well as myself, on Friday night, to show that boxing is already here. We’re just putting it on the biggest stage, which is ESPN,” said Baumgardner.
Undercard Lineup
Also appearing on the undercard are ambitious prospects, including two men’s fights joining the women in the lineup.
Super bantamweights: Elon De Jesus of Orlando (11-1-2, 8 KOs) vs Connor Adaway of Plymouth, England (10-2-1, 4 KOs), eight rounds
Super lightweights: Alex Vargas of New York (14-0, 5 KOs) vs Rani Jalomo of Chicago (7-0-1, 4 KOs), eight rounds. Vargas is promoted by Star Boxing’s Joe DeGuardia.
Super middleweights: Raquel Miller of San Francisco (13-0, 6 KOs) vs Adriana Dos Santos Araujo of Brazil (6-3, 1 KO), six rounds. With a win, Miller could get a shot at Green or Marshall.
Super featherweights: Jahmal Harvey of Oxon Hill, Maryland (2-0, 1 KO) vs Daniel Lugo of Tucson (6-4, 2 KOs). Harvey was part of the Paris 2024 U.S. Olympic team, and made it to the quarterfinals before signing with MVP.
Heavyweights: Luis Gjolena of The Bronx, a native of Albania (7-0-1, 5 KOs) vs Robert Salinas of Santa Rosa, Texas (4-2-1, 3 KOs), six rounds.
Tamm Thibeault Fight Pulled
The scheduled fight between exciting Canadian middleweight Tamm Thibeault and Nadja Jesus of Brazil was pulled from the card due to a visa delay for Jesus. The Dove vs Santizo bout was elevated to the main card, a golden opportunity for rising star Dove.
MVP has become the global home of women’s boxing and boasts multiple milestones. 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.
The Taylor vs Serrano 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 six million viewers globally.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.