Sky Sports has agreed a multi-year deal with Most Valuable Promotions to become the exclusive UK and Ireland broadcaster of MVPW, the new global women’s boxing platform co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.
The agreement, announced Tuesday, guarantees at least two all-female UK fight nights per year on Sky Sports and NOW. The partnership launches this Sunday, April 5, with MVPW-01 at London’s Olympia, featuring a double main event headlined by Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper and Ellie Scotney vs. Mayelli Flores.
A New Home for Women’s Boxing in the UK
The Dubois-Harper contest is a 10-round WBO and WBC lightweight unification bout, with Dubois (12-0-1, 5 KOs) facing Harper (16-2-2, 6 KOs). In the co-main, unified super-bantamweight champion Scotney (11-0) puts her belts on the line against Mexico’s WBA titleholder Flores, with a victory making Scotney the UK’s youngest undisputed champion of the four-belt era.
Sky Sports’ Chief Officer UK and Ireland, Jonathan Licht, said the agreement underlines the broadcaster’s “ambition to showcase the very best in women’s boxing to sports fans and new audiences.” Sky accounted for 79 percent of all televised women’s sport coverage in the UK in 2025, with viewing up 25 percent across more than 4,000 hours of broadcasts.
Global Reach Through ESPN and Sky
The Sky deal runs alongside MVP’s existing multi-year partnership with ESPN as the U.S. home of MVPW events through 2028. Sky Sports will also air selected MVPW US events, beginning with MVPW-02 on April 17 from the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, headlined by unified junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner defending against Bo Mi Re Shin.
Paul and Bidarian said the Sky partnership “marks a major milestone for MVPW and women’s boxing globally,” adding that the goal is delivering “unforgettable nights for fans across the UK and beyond.” MVPW-01 airs live on Sky Sports this Sunday at 5 p.m. BST.
Isis Sio, a 19-year-old women’s boxer from North Dakota, is in a medically induced coma after suffering a first-round knockout loss on Saturday night in San Bernardino, California. ProBox TV confirmed her condition in a statement released Sunday.
“On behalf of CEO Garry Jonas and the entire ProBox family, we are praying for a speedy recovery for Isis Sio,” the organization posted to its social media channels. “Ms. Sio is currently in a medically induced coma. Our thoughts are with her and her family at this very difficult time.”
Sio was competing in the opening bout of a ProBox TV card at the National Orange Show Event Center when she was stopped by Jocelyn Camarillo (6-0) at the 1:18 mark of round one. According to reports, Camarillo landed two body shots before following with a series of head punches that dropped Sio. She was seen convulsing as medical staff attended to her at ringside before she was stretchered from the arena. Sio was transported to Loma Linda University Health medical center, where she is being treated in the ICU.
Quick Turnaround Under Scrutiny
The incident has raised questions about fighter safety protocols. Sio had suffered a stoppage loss just 50 days earlier, on January 30, when she was stopped by body punches from
John Fury has publicly confirmed that his relationship with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is broken — and says he will not attend the April 11 fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov, speaking on the Playbook Boxing YouTube channel.
“Destroyed it completely,” John said bluntly. “He hasn’t showed me enough respect to say, ‘You know what, me dad could be right.’”
Blood vs. the Entourage
At the heart of John’s grievance is a sense that Tyson has consistently chosen his entourage over his own father — and that doing so crosses a line John cannot forgive. He drew a stark contrast between himself and the people he sees profiting from his son.
“He’s broke the golden rule with me as a man,” John said. “He can keep going with his plastic friends. But he’ll want me before I’ll want him. And don’t forget — at 60 year old, we ain’t got much time left, have we?”
John was equally clear that money plays no role in his position.
“If you can’t show your father respect when it’s needed, keep going. I don’t need you. I don’t need him and his millions. I need nothing off him. I wish him well. But he’s put those people before me — his blood father. That’s it.”
‘If He Gets in Trouble, He’s Dead’
John’s refusal to attend or follow the April 11 Netflix card is not simply the product of a family falling-out — it’s also tied to his genuine fear for Tyson’s safety without him in the corner. In a separate part of the interview, John went further, detailing his belief that Tyson is a physically diminished fighter whose best years were left behind in the Wilder trilogy.
“Will I be at the fight? No. Will I listen to it? No,” he said. “If I had have been in his corner and he was in trouble, he wouldn’t be dead. If he gets in trouble with them in his corner, he’s dead or brain damaged for life.”
He acknowledged Tyson will likely win the bout — “which he probably will” — but stressed that his last two performances leave serious questions unanswered heading into the contest.
The Warning to Paris Fury
With his voice no longer reaching Tyson directly, John said he has taken his concerns to Tyson’s wife, Paris, urging her to intervene before it’s too late.
“I even said to his wife: ‘You’re going to have to be a bit more forceful with this guy, because you’re going to end up by yourself. What good’s a shell of a man who’s took too many punches when he should have ended his career?’”
When asked if the relationship can be repaired, John offered no certainty but stopped short of closing the door entirely. “I don’t know. It is what it is. I love my son — but there’s too many people patting him on the back and telling him he’s Tarzan when he’s not Tarzan.”
John Fury made a pointed public accusation against Jake Paul and KSI in a Playbook Boxing interview on March 19, claiming both owe him money from public bets and have refused to pay up — while also revealing that a major fight for son Tommy Fury is close to being finalized.
Jake Paul: ‘A Welsher’
John was characteristically unfiltered when the topic of Jake Paul came up, accusing the influencer-turned-boxer of failing to honor a £3 million public bet. He added that KSI — who fought Tommy Fury in October 2023 — is guilty of the same.
“Jake Paul bet me 3 million quid. He didn’t pay us. KSI bet me 200 grand. Never got that off him either. I’ll never let it go. I’ll tell everybody — Jake Paul’s a Welsher and so is KSI. Keep your money. I don’t need it. But you’re Welsh, the pair of you.”
On the long-awaited Tommy-Paul rematch, John said his side has been willing to do a deal — but Paul’s team keeps backing away. “We tried to do a deal. They run when they get near a deal. I said, ‘Okay, I’ll meet you in the middle.’ Radio silence. That’s the truth of the matter.”
Tommy Fight ‘Imminent’
Despite the rematch impasse, John said something significant is in motion for Tommy’s next fight. He stopped short of naming the opponent but made clear a deal is close.
“There’s something big in the pipeline, but I can’t discuss it. Let’s just say the ink’s on the way to the contract. It’s not there yet. But it’s imminent — we’ll see Tommy in the ring again in a big fight.”
He credited Tommy’s continued success to one key difference between his two sons: Tommy still listens. “Tommy’s at a stage where the difference is — Tommy will listen. I’ve not steered him wrong. He’s made loads of money. He’s unbeaten. He’s not been hurt. He’s been in some good positions. That’s good business.”
Five Years With One Hand
John also offered some important context for Tommy’s career record, revealing that his son has been dealing with a serious hand injury throughout his professional run — one that required major surgery.
“Tommy had one hand for five years. He’s had a major operation. And yet, they still won’t want to fight him.”
John also claimed credit for the broader crossover boxing model that has since been adopted across the sport. “We open the door. Saudi Arabia — first ones there. And they all thought, ‘Oh no, it’s a mismatch.’ We got no end of flack for it. ‘Oh, they’re bringing boxing into disrepute.’” He added that he now believes traditional boxing is losing the entertainment battle — “it’s sad to say because I’m a purist — I think it’s on its way out.”
John Fury delivered a scathing assessment of his son Tyson’s physical and tactical decline in a wide-ranging interview on Playbook Boxing, arguing the three-fight series with Deontay Wilder permanently diminished the heavyweight champion ahead of his April 11 return.
Asked point-blank what is missing from Tyson now — technically and tactically — John’s answer was a single word.
“Everything. When you fight one of the hardest punchers in boxing history three times, it takes something out. You can never fill that tank up like you had it before.”
The Wilder Wars Left Permanent Damage
John traced the root of his son’s decline directly to the Wilder trilogy, particularly the toll of going to the absolute limit in brutal heavyweight warfare. He recalled a conversation with Tyson that stayed with him.
“He said afterward, ‘Dad, I was prepared to die.’ And when he got that knockout on Wilder, he had nothing left after that. He laid it all on the line.”
His assessment of the two Oleksandr Usyk fights was blunt.
“I watched the Usyk fight last time — power weren’t there. The moves was there, but after six or seven rounds, it was fading quick. The old Tyson would have knocked them out in five rounds before he met Wilder, because he’d have the engine standing in the middle of the ring and keep going. There’s no two-phased attacks. There’s nothing. When there is a handle, it’s labored. The legs ain’t there.”
‘You Only Find Out When the First Bell Rings’
The most troubling element, John argued, is that the true state of Tyson’s legs cannot be evaluated in a gym — only under fire.
“People don’t understand — it’s not in the training. It’s when the first bell rings. He’ll only find that out when the first bell rings.”
He had begged Tyson to walk away after the second Usyk loss, a plea he now makes publicly.
“I said to him: you’re out 18 months. Forget it. You’re not what you were. Leave it. Begged and prayed of him. Leave it. Your power’s not up to scratch.”
Usyk Getting Smarter, Tyson Getting Older
John also pointed to the contrasting career management of Usyk as evidence the scales are tilting further against any potential trilogy. While Tyson chose a difficult fight in Arslanbek Makhmudov for his April comeback, Usyk has taken a calculated route against Rico Verhoeven.
“Nothing’s going to change because Tyson’s getting weaker and Usyk’s getting stronger, because Usyk’s smarter. He’s having the easier route. Father time waits for no one. He’ll let Fury do all the donkey work and it’ll make it easier for the trilogy.”
John’s verdict on the fight choice itself was equally damning:
“What he should have done is box clever. Let two men kill each other. But what’s he done? He’s being a hero. Ego has took over his brain power.”
The Mental Health Dimension
John also offered rare context for what was happening behind the scenes during Tyson’s well-documented mental health struggles — revealing that he was quietly fighting his own crisis at the same time, and that neither knew the other was equally broken.
“I went for a walk with Tyson. He was ill at this time. But little did he know I was iller than him. We were both messed up in the head walking on that road. He’s saying, ‘This ain’t right now.’ I’m thinking, ‘I’m not on my own here.’”
Most strikingly, John revealed that just two weeks before the first Usyk fight, Tyson broke down mid-sparring and John called for the bout to be pulled entirely.
“Two weeks before the Usyk fight — two rounds sparring. He’s laid down in the ring and he’s crying his eyes out. I said, ‘Stop. Right. Pull the fight.’ My head’s gone. Yours is gone. We need time to rebuild our minds.”
That Tyson fought on — and pushed through — speaks to the same quality John cited from the Wilder years. But it also raises questions about the judgment calls being made around him, and whether the people in his corner are giving him the honest counsel a fighter needs heading into another dangerous heavyweight assignment.
Oleksandr Usyk is deep in training camp for his May 23rd WBC Heavyweight Title defense, and he’s doing it alongside a familiar face — former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua, the man he defeated twice.
Oleksandr Usyk shares tips with Anthony Joshua in training camp as he prepares for his clash with Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza 💥
The two heavyweights, who waged a pair of memorable wars — first in September 2021 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and then in a rematch in August 2022 in Jeddah — are now sharing a gym as Usyk prepares for the biggest crossover event in recent boxing history.
Joshua previously joined Team Usyk’s training base in Spain ahead of his December 2025 fight against Jake Paul, working closely with Usyk’s longtime coaches Yuri Tkachenko and Sergey Lapin, and that partnership has continued into Usyk’s current camp.
Learning from the best 🤝
Anthony Joshua worked with Oleksandr Usyk on the right hand that KO'd Jake Paul 💥 pic.twitter.com/BiLldpJuku
The dynamic between Usyk and Joshua remains one of the most compelling storylines in modern heavyweight boxing. Usyk defeated Joshua by unanimous decision in their 2021 bout, stripping him of the IBF, WBA, and WBO titles, then retained those belts via split decision in their 2022 rematch.
Now, rather than adversaries, the two are allies in camp — with Joshua drawing on the knowledge and environment of the team that beat him twice.
Usyk, 39, last fought in July 2025, stopping Daniel Dubois in five rounds to reclaim the undisputed heavyweight crown, and enters “Glory in Giza” as a heavy favorite against the crossover challenger.
Glory in Giza | May 23, 2026 | Pyramids of Giza, Egypt | Live & Exclusive on DAZN
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk 🤝
👊 Fought In 2021 ⚔️ Rematched In 2022 🙌 Training Together In 2026
Top Rank Boxing and DAZN have officially signed a landmark multi-year streaming partnership, the two companies announced Wednesday at an event in New York City, ending an eight-month stretch in which Top Rank operated without a major broadcast home.
The deal will deliver between 8 and 10 live Top Rank fight cards annually to DAZN, with license fees ranging from $1 million to $1.25 million per event — putting the total package value at roughly $10 million per year. DAZN will serve as the exclusive global streaming home for events included in the agreement, with Top Rank also retaining the option to stage events on DAZN’s pay-per-view model.
The arrangement is considerably smaller in scope than Top Rank’s previous deal with ESPN, which ran for eight years and reportedly paid in the neighborhood of $85 million annually for more than 30 events per year. That partnership concluded following Top Rank’s July 2025 card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Since then, promoter Bob Arum and company president Todd duBoef explored options including HBO Max before ultimately landing on DAZN.
A 60 Year Legacy 🤝 The Global Home of Boxing
Top Rank Boxing and DAZN sign a landmark multi-year streaming deal bringing elite events and a storied archive to DAZN. pic.twitter.com/yBjLORR8mc
Top Rank’s roster includes Teofimo Lopez, Janibek Alimkhanuly, Keyshawn Davis, Abdullah Mason, Bruce Carrington, and Richard Torrez Jr., among others. First events under the new deal are expected to begin as early as May or June 2026.
For DAZN, the addition of Top Rank further cements its position as a global boxing hub. The streamer already holds long-term deals with Matchroom Boxing — recently extended through 2031 — as well as Golden Boy Promotions and Queensberry Promotions.
Top Rank’s arrival gives DAZN a significant inventory boost as it competes with new entrants including Zuffa Boxing, backed by UFC parent TKO and airing on Paramount+, and Netflix, which has increasingly staged high-profile one-off boxing events.
The partnership carries a notable footnote: Arum once publicly dismissed DAZN as the “Dead Zone” back in 2022. The 94-year-old Hall of Fame promoter, who founded Top Rank in 1966, ultimately played a patient long game — and landed on the platform he once mocked.
The undercard of David Benavidez vs. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on May 2 may look different than initially reported. Veteran boxing journalist Dan Rafael said Tuesday that Jaime Munguia will face WBA super middleweight champion Jose Armando Resendiz (16-2, 11 KOs) on the undercard of the Cinco de Mayo weekend PPV — per a source directly involved — and that the deal wrapped up on Tuesday.
The report directly contradicts an earlier ESPN story from the same day, which cited sources confirming that Jermall Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs) had been signed to challenge Resendiz on the card.
The confusion reflects how fluid the situation around Resendiz’s first title defense has been. Munguia was originally the frontrunner for the fight, but BoxingScene reported last month that those talks collapsed after Munguia reportedly priced himself out. Charlo then emerged as the replacement option, with both fighters operating under the Premier Boxing Champions banner.
If Rafael’s report holds, Munguia has since come back to the table and gotten a deal done — leapfrogging Charlo for the title shot at the eleventh hour.
A Crowded Cinco de Mayo Card
The main event features undefeated two-division world champion David Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) moving up to challenge unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Zurdo Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on Prime Video.
Oscar Duarte has also been confirmed on the undercard. The Resendiz title fight — whoever ends up in it — is expected to serve as the co-main event.
As of Tuesday evening, neither PBC nor either fighter’s camp had issued an official announcement. This story will be updated as the situation is confirmed.
Most Valuable Promotions has revealed the complete fight card for MVPW02, the inaugural U.S. event under Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian’s new all-women’s boxing platform. The card goes down Friday, April 17 at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, live on ESPN and the ESPN App.
MVPW02 Full Fight Card
Main Card
Alycia Baumgardner (c) vs. Bo Mi Re Shin – Unified WBA/WBO/IBF Super Featherweight Titles
Shadasia Green (c) vs. Lani Daniels – Unified Super Middleweight Titles
Tamm Thibeault vs. Nadja Jesus
Krystal Rosado vs. Fernanda Reyes
Undercard
Jahmal Harvey vs. Leandro Medina
Elon De Jesus vs. Connor Adaway
Wanna Walton vs. Dionne Ruvalcaba
Nat Dove vs. Maria Micheo
Raquel Miller vs. Adriana Araújo
Alex Vargas vs. Ryan O’Rourke
MVPW02 Preview
Headlining is unified super featherweight champion Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner (17-1, 7 KOs) putting her WBA, WBO, and IBF titles on the line against South Korea’s Bo Mi Re Shin (19-3-3, 10 KOs) in a 10-round contest fought under men’s standard three-minute rounds.
Shin comes in fresh off a narrow majority decision loss to WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois in March 2025, making her one of the more dangerous challengers in the junior lightweight division.
“New York sets the tone for boxing’s biggest nights,” Baumgardner said. “I’m here to dominate and continue building something that lasts beyond belts. ESPN is where greatness is documented, and I’m ready to perform at that level.”
In the co-main event, unified super middleweight champion Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green (16-1, 11 KOs) makes a title defense against former light heavyweight champion Lani Daniels (11-4-2, 1 KO) in a 10-round bout at 168 lbs.
MVPW02 serves as the U.S. linear debut for the newly launched MVPW platform, which secured a multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN through 2028. The event also marks the first boxing on ESPN since the network’s long-running partnership with Top Rank expired in July 2025. MVP has additionally locked in a three-year relationship with Madison Square Garden Entertainment to stage annual MVPW events at the iconic venue.
Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster and here at Boxing Wire Tickets.
🚨FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS🚨#MVPW02 is officially LOADED from top to bottom — headlined by Alycia “The Bomb” Baumgardner vs. Bo Mi Re Shin from the Infosys Theater at MSG in New York City on LIVE on ESPN 📺
Eddie Hearn has pushed back hard on reports that Anthony Joshua has agreed to fight Tyson Fury, calling the claim “completely untrue” and confirming no deal is in place for the long-awaited all-British heavyweight showdown.
The denial came after talkSPORT’s Gareth A Davies reported over the weekend that the fight is “agreed” and set to stream on Netflix — a claim that also clashed with Joshua’s existing broadcast partnership with DAZN.
“Completely untrue. There is absolutely nothing signed with Anthony Joshua to fight Tyson Fury next. There is nothing agreed,” Hearn told The Stomping Ground. “There have been conversations — deep conversations prior to the accident — but since then, there have been no real conversations about that fight.”
Car Crash Derailed 2026 Plans
The original roadmap had Joshua returning in March before facing Fury later in the year. Those plans collapsed after Joshua was involved in a fatal car crash in Lagos, Nigeria, on December 29, which claimed the lives of two of his close friends and teammates, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.
Hearn confirmed to Boxing Scene that the revised plan has Joshua targeting a comeback in July or late summer, though he cautioned that a return date depends on when “AJ” gets back into training camp.
“Physically he’s not yet in a position to return to camp,” Hearn said. “We’ll only know if July is a real possibility when he returns to camp, which will hopefully be in the next couple of weeks or a month.”
The promoter has also walked back the certainty around a Fury fight happening at all. Speaking to Yahoo Sport, Hearn admitted there are “no guarantees” Joshua fights again, and acknowledged he doesn’t know whether Joshua vs. Fury will “ever happen right now” — a marked shift from the confident timeline he was projecting before the accident.
Fury Fights April 11, Joshua Door Still Open
Fury, meanwhile, returns on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against hard-hitting contender Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-2, 19 KOs), live on Netflix. The fight marks Fury’s first bout on British soil in nearly four years and his comeback from a self-declared retirement.
Hearn stopped short of closing the door on Joshua-Fury entirely.
“We’re open to the Fury fight,” he said, “but probably more likely end of the year — maybe early 2027.”
He also noted that Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh remains the key figure in brokering any deal, saying Joshua’s side has accepted a framework but that the Fury negotiations are out of their hands.
“It’s Turki Alalshikh’s responsibility to talk to Tyson Fury and try to make the deal,” Hearn said. “Is the fight made? No. Because I don’t know where he’s at with Tyson Fury.”
