Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced MVPW05 will take place live on ESPN and the ESPN App on Saturday, August 8, at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. The fifth installment of MVP’s new year-round global platform for women’s boxing, will be headlined by undisputed bantamweight world champion Cherneka “Sugar Neeks” Johnson of Australia (19-2, 8 KOs) vs. Denmark’s former unified champion and Boxrec’s #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Dina Thorslund (24-0, 9 KOs) in a potential Fight of the Year contender.
Tickets for MVPW-05 go on sale Saturday, June 13 at 11 a.m. ET on Ticketmaster.com.
Cherneka Johnson Seizes Opportunity
Last July, Johnson stepped for Thorslund after she vacated her former unified WBC and WBO bantamweight belts and withdrew from MVP’s Taylor vs Serrano 3 card at Madison Square Garden due to pregnancy. Thorslund now has the opportunity to win her belts back and dethrone Johnson as undisputed world champion.
Johnson vs Thorslund will be a 10-round championship bout at 118 pounds.
The reigning undisputed bantamweight world champion, Johnson, was born in Tauranga, New Zealand. Fighting out of Gold Coast, Australia, Johnson is a two-weight world champion and the former IBF super bantamweight world champion.
In March 2025, Johnson defeated then-champion Nina Hughes to claim the WBA bantamweight world title. In July 2025, Johnson, newly signed with MVP, made her promotional debut on the undercard of MVP’s historic Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano trilogy card, stepping into the ring against former IBF world champion Shurretta Metcalf in a 10-round undisputed world title showdown as part of the first-ever all-women’s professional boxing card at Madison Square Garden.
Following a heated battle, Johnson won via ninth-round TKO, becoming the first-ever undisputed Australian champion in the four-belt era. Johnson defended her undisputed title for the first time on the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua undercard in December 2025 in a bloody war against Canadian Amanda Galle.
“I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and for this fight to come together the way it has makes it even more exciting! Now is my time to show what I am truly capable of,” said Johnson. “This is the fight I always knew would bring out the best version of me, and I plan to do exactly that — take my belts home, take her pound-for-pound ranking, and claim the bantamweight queen title.”
Dina Thorslund Returns To Reign
Dina Thorslund (24-0, 9 KOs) is a two-division world champion, unified bantamweight world champion and Denmark’s most accomplished boxer, with a national record 12 straight world title fights. She was signed by MVP in March 2025.
Thorslund held the unified WBC and WBO bantamweight titles until June 2025, when she became pregnant. When Thorslund voluntarily relinquished her titles, she requested and received the WBC’s approval to be designated as Champion in Recess.
Thorslund returned on January 31, stepping up to super featherweight and defeating Almudena Alvarez, becoming the WBC Interim featherweight champion. But Thorslund felt there was still unfinished business at bantamweight. She now looks to extend her dominance in what will be her 12th world championship bout.
Thorslund is currently ranked the number two pound-for-pound women’s boxer in the world by Boxrec ahead of Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Claressa Shields, and others—and also holds the number seven spot on Ring Magazine’s list.
“I’ve been waiting for this fight since I had to give up my two world titles due to an unexpected pregnancy. Sadly, I lost the baby, and with that I not only lost the family I had dreamed of, but also the titles I gave up for it. That experience has given me an even stronger hunger to come back and reclaim everything that was once mine,” said Thorslund.
“Cherneka Johnson needs to be at her absolute best against me, because I’m returning with a level of motivation I’ve never had before. And let’s not forget one important thing. I’m the only undefeated fighter between the two of us, and I still will be after this fight.”
MVP Continues Its Women’s Boxing Series on ESPN
“MVPW05 features the latest superfight from MVP, uniting two of the best women’s boxers in the world, both of whom feel the 118lbs world titles are rightfully theirs,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Dina Thorslund is the #2 P4P in the world and has been waiting patiently for this opportunity since vacating her titles, and after just one fight back is an interim world champion again as she continues to define excellence in European boxing.
“Neekz delivered back-to-back statement performances in 2025 to become the first-ever undisputed champion in Australian boxing history in the four-belt era, male or female, and then reinforced her dominance with a commanding first successful title defense. Johnson vs. Thorslund is unequivocally a Fight of the Year contender from Caribe Royale Resort on Saturday, August 8, live on ESPN.”
“Caribe Royale is pleased to welcome back MVP and MVPW to Central Florida. We are proud to bring MVPW and ESPN to Caribe Royale as they lead a new revolution in women’s boxing,” said Amaury Piedra, President of Boxlab Promotions and Managing Director of the Caribe Royale Resort. “Both our guests and locals alike are in store for a night of fireworks with multiple titles on the line. This event is just another example of our commitment to bringing world class entertainment and events to both our local residents and out of town visitors as well and who better to do it with than Jake, Nakisa, and the MVP team.”
MVPW on ESPN showcases the sport’s most elite female fighters with championship bouts on every card and will always feature a main card composed entirely of female fighters, with an undercard including a mix of female and male bouts.
MVPW-05 is produced and marketed by MVP and promoted by MVP and Boxlab Promotions.
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.