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INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR JAKE “EL GALLO” PAUL MARKS FIVE YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL BOXER, LOOKING BACK ON FIVE BIGGEST IMPACTS ON THE SPORT WITH MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS

By Mike Johnson on 1/30/2025 11:31 AM

INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR JAKE “EL GALLO” PAUL MARKS FIVE YEARS AS A PROFESSIONAL BOXER, LOOKING BACK ON FIVE BIGGEST IMPACTS ON THE SPORT WITH MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS

NEW YORK, NY – January 30, 2024 – Today marks five years since the professional boxing debut of Jake “El Gallo” Paul (11-1, 7 KOs). Jake picked up gloves for the first time at age 21 in 2018, and had just one amateur fight under his belt before making his pro debut against Ali Eson Gib. Since his first-round knockout victory over Gib, Jake has become a transformative figure in the sport of boxing, reshaping its future through empowerment, innovation, and advocacy, shattering records at every step of the way. Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) now look back on Jake’s five most impactful contributions that have redefined boxing over the past five years:

1. Championing Women’s Boxing

Jake Paul is doing more for women’s boxing than any other fighter alive, championing equality, advocating for equal competition rules, and providing unparalleled platforms for female fighters, resulting in record-breaking viewership and paydays for female fighters. 

 

With MVP, Jake co-promoted the historic Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight in 2022 as they made history as the first-ever women to headline Madison Square Garden. The fight earned recognition as Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year and The Ring’s Event of the Year and was further nominated for Event of the Year by Sports Business Journal.

 

Jake and MVP also empowered Amanda Serrano’s fight for equality in women’s boxing as she defended her unified titles against Danila Ramos in the first-ever women’s unified championship fight contested over 12, three-minute rounds, equal to any men’s championship fight, in October 2023. This marked the first time a women’s fight has gone the full 12x3, and Serrano threw a career high of 1,103 punches in the bout. In honor of her trailblazing achievements inside and outside the ring, Serrano was awarded the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) Female Fighter of the Year for 2023, as well as Sports Illustrated’s and Boxing Scene’s 2023 Women’s Fighter of the Year. Ahead of the event, Serrano and Ramos, supported by Jake and MVP, released a statement called CHOICE with the support of 25 of the most accomplished female boxers in history, including current and former boxing champions. The CHOICE statement affirmed the pursuit of female fighters to achieve equal pay, promotion, and competitive opportunity in the sport of boxing, advocating for the choice to fight championship fights under the same 12x3 rules as men.

 

In 2023, Jake was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, celebrated for revolutionizing the sport by advocating for equitable pay and creating platforms for young fighters, particularly women. 

 

In November 2024, Jake’s impact to date culminated in putting women’s boxing on the biggest stage imaginable with Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2, the most anticipated women’s boxing rematch ever, the co-main event of MVP’s Paul vs. Tyson. The rematch, recognized by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Boxing Scene as the 2024 Women’s Fight of the Year, became the most-watched professional women’s sports event in US history, attracting 74M live viewers globally, 56M peak concurrent views, and 47M AMA in the US. Serrano and Taylor also earned record paydays, setting a new benchmark for pay equity in the sport. Within two years of signing with Jake and MVP, Shadasia Green became MVP’s first home-grown world champion, winning the WBO super middleweight world title over Melinda Watpool also on the Paul vs. Tyson card.

 

Jake has further championed MVP’s newest female signees, Puerto Rican sensation Krystal Rosado and 2x Canadian Olympian Tamm Thibeault, as both fought three-minute rounds on MVP cards in statements for equality in women’s boxing. 

 

2. Redefining Global Sports Entertainment

Since co-founding MVP in 2021, Jake has reimagined how boxing is presented to the world as an entertainment entity. In 2024, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson became the first-ever live professional sports event on Netflix, breaking away from the traditional pay-per-view (PPV) model in favor of streaming the fight for free to the platform’s then-283+ million global subscribers. The fight set records as the most-streamed sporting event in history, reaching 108 million live viewers and over 65 million peak concurrent streams globally, with over 64 million AMA in the US. Together with Mike Tyson, Jake Paul transformed boxing into a global cultural phenomenon that attracted six generations of sports fans, demonstrating the untapped potential of pairing combat sports with the world’s largest entertainment streaming platforms.

 

3. Providing a Platform for Young and Diverse Professional Talent

Paul and MVP have invested in the future of professional boxing through MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects series, which highlights young and female talent from around the globe. Since its launch in 2023, the Most Valuable Prospects series has held ten iterations and provided dozens of boxing prospects with a TV platform far earlier in their careers than is typical in the sport, addressing a critical gap in professional boxing’s structure and identifying some of the top up-and-coming talent in the sport.

 

Jake and MVP also expanded the company’s talent roster to 11 athletes between 2021 and 2024, building greater global representation and inclusivity in the sport. In 2024 alone, Jake and MVP signed Puerto Rican fighters Krystal Rosado, Jan Paul Rivera, and Alexis “Chop Chop” Chaparro, as well as top-ranked Canadian lightweight “Prince” Lucas Bahdi, 2x Canadian Olympian Tamm Thibeault, and India’s #1 boxer Neeraj Goyat. Jake and MVP previously signed Puerto Rico’s first undisputed featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, lightweight phenom H2O Sylve, super middleweight powerhouse Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green, and boxing prodigy and actor Javon “Wanna” Walton.

 

4. Revolutionizing the Amateur-Professional Boxing Pipeline

Jake founded his Boxing Bullies nonprofit in 2021 with the mission to instill self-confidence, leadership, and courage within youth through the sport of boxing, providing a positive outlet for children in underprivileged communities across the continental US and Puerto Rico. In April 2023, Boxing Bullies partnered with the World Boxing Organization (WBO) to renovate further youth boxing gyms across the United States. To date, thousands of children have participated in Boxing Bullies, gaining access to the organization’s 14 renovated gyms and programs designed to foster discipline, self-confidence, and a lifelong passion for the sport.

 

Jake also partnered with USA Boxing in December 2023 to shine a light on Olympic boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, representing the first time a professional athlete and influencer has partnered with Team USA for the Olympics in this capacity. The groundbreaking partnership continued Jake’s mission to provide a platform for young fighters and amplify global interest in boxing. In March 2024, Jake gave his followers an inside look at what it's like to train side-by-side with Team USA boxers and famed Olympic boxing coach, Billy Walsh at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. Jake also provided mental performance coaching and led a social media workshop during the visit to help the Olympic fighters understand how to leverage social media and the power of developing their brands online.

 

In November 2024, Boxing Bullies also entered a groundbreaking partnership with USA Boxing. Set to roll out in Q1 2025, the partnership aims to make youth boxing as popular and accessible as karate for Generation Alpha and beyond. The partnership will introduce a tiered youth development program in 2,600 USA Boxing-affiliated gyms nationwide. The joint initiative will transform the lives of potentially millions of children and adolescents, targeting growth in the boxing fanbase and the amateur-professional boxing pipeline.

 

5. Individual Record-Breaking Moments

Since headlining his first fight, Jake Paul has broken records at every arena in the United States he has fought at. Most recently, Paul vs. Tyson in November 2024 achieved a gate of $18,117,072 with an average ticket price of $304, shattering AT&T Stadium’s former record and doubling Texas’s previous combat sports gate record of $9 million set by Canelo Álvarez, and marking the highest combat sports gate in US history outside of Las Vegas. Paul vs. Tyson also became the most-streamed sporting event in history with an AMA of 108M and 65M+ concurrent streams globally, including over 64M AMA in the US.

 

Paul vs. Bourland (initially scheduled as the co-main event of Serrano vs. Meinke), was the highest recorded gate for a boxing event in Puerto Rico history in March 2024. The Coliseo de Puerto Rico’s first-ever event, Miguel Cotto vs. Kelson Pinto in September 2004, previously held the record in Puerto Rico for nearly 20 years. 

 

Paul vs. August in Orlando, FL achieved the highest recorded gate and highest average ticket price for a boxing event in Orlando’s history in December 2023. Jake’s record-setting appearance in Dallas, TX for Paul vs. Diaz in August 2023 was the highest boxing gate and second biggest combat sports gate ever at the American Airlines Center. In February 2023, Paul vs. Fury earned the highest boxing PPV sales from an event in the Middle East to date.

 

Previously, Paul vs. Silva broke a record for the second highest combat sports gate at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Paul vs. Woodley II set the record for the highest combat sports gate at Amalie Arena in Tampa (where Jake later sold out Paul vs. Perry), and Paul vs. Woodley I was the highest boxing gate ever at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. 


 

About Jake Paul

Jake Paul, known as “El Gallo de Dorado,” has rapidly become one of the most influential figures in the world of combat sports. After rising to stardom on YouTube, Paul quickly earned a reputation for his brash, unapologetic behavior, which often landed him in the headlines. This rebellious attitude and controversial persona led to the birth of another one of Paul’s nicknames, “The Problem Child.” Paul left behind the digital influencer life and made the bold pivot to professional boxing in 2020. Driven by his passion for the sport and a desire to redefine his legacy, he relocated to Puerto Rico to focus fully on his training and boxing career. 

     

After competing in three professional fights and headlining his first pay-per-view event in April 2021, Paul took another bold step. In August 2021, he co-founded Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) with Nakisa Bidarian, aiming to give fighters greater creative control over their careers. Paul’s commitment to the sport extends beyond his own career, as he and MVP actively promote women’s boxing and support rising talent through initiatives like MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects series. In 2023, Paul was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue — he was celebrated for revolutionizing the sport by advocating for equitable pay and creating platforms for young fighters, particularly women. 

 

Paul’s impact in the ring is equally significant, with high-profile victories over names like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. His viral knockouts and headline-grabbing performances have breathed new life into boxing, drawing millions of fans and setting records. In November 2024, he headlined a historic bout against boxing legend Mike Tyson, streamed live globally on Netflix. The event shattered records, becoming the most-streamed sporting event ever with 108 million live viewers globally. The main event peaked at 65 million concurrent streams worldwide, including 38 million in the US. During its broadcast, 56% of all US TV viewing from 9 PM-10 PM PST was dedicated to the fight.

The fight’s impact extended beyond streaming, achieving record commercial distribution across 6,000+ bars and restaurants in the US and topping Netflix charts in 78 countries. Globally, it trended as #1 on X, with #PaulTyson dominating worldwide discussions and #Serrano ranking second in major markets like the US, Brazil, Spain, and Canada. With an $18,117,072 gate and 72,300 attendees at AT&T Stadium, the event set a record as the highest-grossing combat sports gate in US history outside of Las Vegas and entered the top 10 overall.

Outside the ring, Paul’s contributions to the sport extend into philanthropy and advocacy. In 2021, he launched the Boxing Bullies foundation, a nonprofit that empowers and inspires young people through boxing. He’s also been an outspoken advocate for fighter rights and pay equity and has partnered with USA Boxing to support the development of future Olympic athletes. Through his ventures and advocacy, Paul continues to shape the future of boxing and influence the broader sports and entertainment landscape.    

About Most Valuable Promotions

Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, recently earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.