What to Know
- MVPW05 will present two fights with the Ring Magazine belt on the line, along with multiple titles in both the main and co-main events from the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, airing live on Saturday on ESPN and the ESPN app.
- Reigning champions from Australia, Cherneka Johnson and Desley Robinson, intend to take their belts home, taking on Dina Thorslund and Tamm Thibault
- The main card features four compelling women’s fights starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with early undercard action at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Compelling championship fights put the hardware on the line at Most Valuable Promotions’ MVPW05 for the women in the main and co-main events on Saturday, August 8, from the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, live on ESPN and the ESPN App.
The eight women on the main card joined host Crystina Poncher for the final pre-fight news conference to make their intentions clear on their paths to victory Thursday on the Most Valuable Promotions event, part of its series of cards featuring its impressive roster of women’s boxing champions, prospects, and contenders.
Australian Champions Johnson and Robinson Putting Titles on the Line
Australia’s first-ever undisputed champion (male or female) will face her top challenger in the bantamweight division, with the Ring Magazine belt sweetening the reward for the winner. Cherneka Johnson of Melbourne (19-2, 8 KOs) faces former unified champion and top pound-for-pound fighter Dina Thorslund of Denmark (24-0, 9 KOs) in a potential Fight of the Year contender.
Thorslund is not well known in the U.S., but she is a relentless power puncher with impressive strength and aggression at 118 pounds. was scheduled to face IBF World Bantamweight champion Shurretta Metcalf on the all-women’s card headlined by Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in July 2025 at Madison Square Garden. She discovered she was pregnant a month before the fight with her second child and vacated her belts.
Instead, Metcalf faced Cherneka Johnson in a fight for all four belts. Johnson stopped Metcalf to become the undisputed champion.
Thorslund sadly suffered a miscarriage. She returned to the ring in January for a decision win. While training for this bout, her sparring partner Raven Chapman suffered a brain bleed and is now fighting for her life. Thorslund acknowledged the heavy circumstances, but intends to channel them into her fight.
“There’s a lot of emotion in this fight for me, and I’m too experienced to (let it have) a bad effect on me. It’s like a deeper motivation, even worse now. I’m really looking forward to it, and I really think that especially one person will be shocked, and I can’t wait to (do) it,” said Thorslund, pointedly looking across the stage at Johnson.
Thorslund said while a win is a win, she aims to stop Johnson.
Johnson brings her hand speed and willingness to fight on the inside to the matchup. She will need to disrupt Thorslund’s pressure with her excellent jab and look to counterpunch. Neither woman will have trouble finding each other in the ring.
Johnson was denied taking the belts off Thorslund in the ring, and she intends to leverage the opportunity now to prove she’s deserving of them. “I know a lot of people in here still look as Dina as the queen of the bantamweight division. She’s got something that I want, and I’m going to take that and all these belts back home,” vowed Johnson.
Middleweights Robinson and Thibeault Mean Business
Johnson’s fellow Aussie will defend her unified IBF and WBO World Middleweight belts in the co-main event against a hungry contender. Desley Robinson of Logan City, Queensland (12-3, 4 KOs) makes her second title defense in two months against her number one contender Tamm Thibeault of Shawinigan, Quebec (4-0, 3 KOs), also being contested for the Ring Magazine belt.
Thibeault’s thin pro record isn’t as it seems. Thibeault is an accomplished amateur world champion who has acclimated quickly to the pro ranks. She is a tall southpaw with serious power and an unusual 75% knockout rate.
Robinson defeated Mary Spencer of Canada on the MVPW03 card on May 30, earning the Performance of the Night bonus. The single mom of three fears no woman.
“Look, credit given where credit’s due, and you know she’s had a great amateur career,” said Robinson. “But you know she hasn’t been tested. She hasn’t done the 10 rounds. She’s not at all been in against someone like me,” adding she expects a great fight against Thibault.
“Our styles are good. She’s long. She’s taller than me. I thought I was tall, but she’s quite tall. And yeah, we’re ready for whatever Tamm brings. But my goal is to take the fight off her, like I did in my last fight, and continue to make statements,” said Robinson.
The one thing both women agree on, it’s going to be a barnburner of a fight.
“I see the belts, and that’s what I want. So it’s really that simple,” said Thibault.
“It takes a lot of courage to go up in the ring, right? No matter what anybody says, no matter what we do, everyone puts in so much work. We sacrifice so much to be here, and I have respect for whoever steps in the ring with me … I can’t wait till you guys see the fight on Saturday. It’s going to be a good one. I know that for sure.”
Robinson said she still has hunger as the reigning champion. “I still have that hunger to keep proving why I belong here, and why I will be getting the Ring magazine belt as well, which has also been added onto this world title fight.”
Shuretta Metcalf Seeks Second Division Championship
Shurretta Metcalf v. Amanda Galle FACE OFF during MVPW-05 Press Conference!
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Saturday, August 8th
LIVE on ESPN
Caribe Royale Resort – Orlando, FL#MVPW05 pic.twitter.com/oFYdsJcnls— MVP – Most Valuable Promotions (@MostVpromotions) August 6, 2026
Also on the main card, the former world bantamweight champion nicknamed “Chiccn” is dropping down to the super flyweight division in a quest to become a two-division world champion.
Shurretta Metcalf of Dallas, Texas (15-5-1, 2 KOs) turned heads in her cowprint outfit and cowboy hat on stage as she swapped chatter with opponent Amanda Galle of Ontario, Canada (12-1-1, 1 KO) ahead of their eight-round bout. The winner will be the top contender for the division champions including MVP’s IBF champion Irma Garcia, WBC champion Adelaida Maria Ruiz, and popular WBO and Ring Magazine unified champion Mizuki Hiruta of Japan.
“I’m coming for greatness,” declared Johnson. “I’m going to be a two-time world champion, two division world champion, and dropping down to 115. I feel like I can do that.”
Galle also dropped down to the super flyweight division for this opportunity, keeping all her options open. “I think that to be at an elite level, there needs to be sacrifice involved to bring out the best character of you, and so with more sacrifice, you’re going to see a better Amanda Galle.”
Galle taunted Metcalf by pointing out that while Cherneka Johnson knocked her out, she went the distance in her loss to the champion. Metcalf brushed it off as a “bullshit stoppage,” and it’s true that the referee did seem to jump in early, particularly for a fight with titles on the line.
In the main card opening bout, it’s a classic Puerto Rico versus Mexico battle as MVP’s Krystal Rosado of Puerto Rico (9-1, 2 KOs) will face Alondra Yamile Hernandez Mendoza of Mexico (11-2, 2 KOs) in an eight-round bout in the bantamweight division.
Who’s Going From Boxing To MMA?
In a sidebar discussion, host Crystina Poncher mentioned the recent acquisition of PFL by MVP, and asked the women if any of them would consider competing in a mixed martial arts fight under the MVP banner.
Cherneka Johnson said she never turns down an opportunity but left it as a maybe. But her fellow Australian Desley Robinson said, “I love to fight! Why not?”
Shuretta Metcalf was also enthusiastic. “MMA is like to me like a legal street fight, so I’m down. I’m down. Elbows, elbows. I’ve been taught!”
Of all eight women, Amanda Galle is the one best prepared for a crossover. She started her combat sports career in karate at age 6, earning a black belt at age 11. She also trained in jujitsu before going on both to kickboxing and boxing.
“I can throw spin kicks like it’s breakfast. I can box. I can do ground game. If the money is right, definitely say yes,” said Galle.
Dina Thorslund said she had considered it, but deferred for love.
“Once I said to my husband, I actually thought about it. When I’m done boxing, I could call out the biggest and baddest in MMA, and he was like, ‘Nope, you’re not gonna do that. I love you too much.’ Well, okay, that’s fine,” said Thorslund.
Tamm Thibeault said she had no desire to have her tall frame twisted into a pretzel, and Rosado and Mendoza said they’ll stick with boxing.
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.
