Most Valuable Promotions continue to sign some of the brightest prospects in boxing and have today unveiled the signing of undisputed super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs). This signing further illustrates Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian’s dedication to women’s boxing. All quotes below are taken from an MVP press release.
The signing of Baumgardner comes shortly after the announcement of the upcoming all-women’s mega card at Madison Square Garden on Friday, July 11. Signing “The Bomb” is a huge statement of intent from MVP who continues to make a significant mark in female boxing. MVP also recently announced a lifetime deal for seven-division champion Amanda Serrano.
Baumgardner has dazzled in the ring, with significant wins over Terri Harper, Mikaela Mayer and Edith Soledad Matthysse. More recently, the Ohio native faced Delfine Persoon, scoring a knockdown before an accidental clash of heads led to a no-contest ruling.
Controversy has followed her in recent times with a failed drug test, that resulted in the WBC deeming her “not guilty of intentional ingestion or consumption of a banned substance for performance enhancement purposes.” The 30-year-old will be eager to increase her activity.
“I’ve always believed in betting on myself, and signing with MVP is the next big move in that journey,” said Alycia Baumgardner. “MVP has proven they’re leaders in women’s boxing, creating the biggest opportunities for fighters like me to shine. This partnership is a natural fit—not just for my career but for the impact we’re making on the sport. The future just got even bigger.”
“MVP is strategically building a roster of fighters who deliver the W both inside and outside the ring, and we are thrilled to welcome Alycia to the family as our newest women’s world champion,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Alycia is a one of the premier athletes in combat sports and signing her is a meaningful accomplishment for our promotion as we now have exclusive relationships with 2 of the top 5 boxers in the world. We look forward to Alyicia’s MVP debut and are actively evaluating the right timing and event for her return to the ring.”
The roster of MVP is growing at an impressive rate and includes Jake “El Gallo” Paul, Amanda Serrano, Javon Walton and Tamm Thibeault, among many other talented fighters.
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Luka Van Ness has been through two seasons in the NFL, but the Green Bay Packers linebacker hasn’t quite yet lived up to the hype that came with him when the team took him 13th overall in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. In his rookie season, the former Iowa Hawkeyes star played in 17 games and recorded four sacks. He took a step back in 2024, recording just three sacks in 17 games. His Pro Football Focus grade slid down from 64.0 in 2023 to 53.8 in 2024. But at least he’s been durable for Green Bay, having not missed a game thus far in his career. Availability is one thing, though. It’s what he does when he’s on the field that the Packers want to see improve. Year 3 for Van Ness could be where he truly breaks out, an exciting thought for the Packers, who were 12th in 2024 with a defensive sack rate of 7.42 percent. Packers DC shares 2025 outlook for Van Ness Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who is entering his second year in the role with the team, is feeling optimistic about Van Ness. Here’s what Hafley said about Van Ness, via Green Bay’s official website. “He’s a year older. He’s got another year in the scheme. I think he’s starting to understand the position, how to use his hands, how to set edges, some pass rush tools, some counter moves. It was a good offseason for him truthfully. He did a good job at OTAs and then he left here and he put in a lot of work. He came back in really good shape, he’s healthy. I think he’s starting to feel comfortable. DeMarcus (Covington) has done a really good job with him and that entire group, but again, it’s still early.” At just 24 years old, Van Ness likely hasn’t reached his peak yet, and if he does take a leap in 2025, that should be a huge plus for the Packers.
The Los Angeles Lakers finished last season with a dud after propelling to the third seed of the Western Conference, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. The one thing that the Wolves exposed was the Lakers' lack of an inside presence. The center spot was weak once they traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic midway through the season, but they found a way to manage despite putrid numbers coming from the center position. The Lakers were bottom five in both rebounds and points per game for centers during the regular season after the All-Star break. However, in the postseason, the numbers got worse. They tried to use their original starting center, Jaxson Hayes, to man the paint, but he only played 7.8 minutes per game while only scoring 1.8 points and grabbing two rebounds per contest. This team knows it needs extreme levels of help for the center spot, which is why it is reportedly looking at a former All-Star center's situation. Anthony Irwin of ClutchPoints reported that the Lakers are closely monitoring the situation between Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have shipped out several key players over the last year, with Vucevic being the lone former All-Star still on the roster. As his trade market winds down, some have speculated that a potential buyout is on the horizon. However, Chicago Bulls insider K.C. Johnson reported on "The Fastbreak" podcast that the Bulls have no intentions of a buyout and would like to move him for assets at the trade deadline. Vucevic would be a massive upgrade alongside Deandre Ayton, whom the Lakers signed earlier in the offseason. Vucevic put up very impressive numbers last season, averaging 18.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field in 73 games. His career numbers are just as impressive, and he's a former two-time All-Star as well. The Lakers should continue to monitor Vucevic and assess the Bulls' ultimate plan for him. With Ayton already in the fold, a trade for Vucevic could put them at the top of the Western Conference.
While it was the action off of the diamond that dominated the baseball world’s attention on MLB trade deadline day, Cal Raleigh continued bashing on it for the Seattle Mariners. Raleigh hit his 42nd home run of the season as the Mariners began a key four-game set with their American League West (and Wild Card) rival Texas Rangers with a 6-0 victory. Raleigh is on pace for a season unlike any other. As August begins, Raleigh is just 12 home runs off of Mickey Mantle’s 1961 record of 54 home runs by a switch hitter and six away from Salvador Perez’s record of 48 by a catcher. Which brings us to today’s quiz. A switch-hitter has hit 35 home runs on just 35 occasions in MLB history. How many of the switch-hitters to reach the 35-dinger milestone can you name in five minutes? Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
The Detroit Lions are officially on the clock. Again. The NFL has landed its next star-headlined holdout, with Micah Parsons taking to social media on Friday to officially request a trade from the Dallas Cowboys. The request comes after, according to Parsons, Dallas continually tried to negotiate a new deal with the star pass rusher without his agent present. Dallas has already signalled they're not sending him anywhere, anytime soon. This is just the latest perfect example for the Lions to not follow as it pertains to future negotiations with their star pass rusher, Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson hasn't received an extension on his current deal which extends into 2026. He's clearly due for a massive pay day, evidenced by the Lions potentially being okay with letting Alex Anzalone walk next year in order to make it happen. But, they must make it happen - or else, they run the risk of looking like the Jerry Jones run Cowboys in a season. Lions must avoid Hutchinson disaster after latest Micah Parsons developments General manager Brad Holmes has to pay a hefty price to keep Hutchinson around, and the defender sounds primed to have a season so undeniably elite that he'll need a deal akin to that received by T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers or Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns. He's been lighting it up in training camp, appears even better than he did to start the 2024 season, and isn't afraid of contact on his leg that suffered a break last season. Detroit has a ton of cap flexibility, which makes their situation a bit more unique compared to that of the Browns, for example. They're working with $48 million in cap room for this season, per Over the Cap, so they could get something done with the pass rusher this season. The issue, however, lies with 2026 and beyond. READ MORE: This Lions-Cowboys trade finally brings Micah Parsons to Detroit However, Detroit is projected to be in the red against the cap to the tune of $43.3 million. That's thanks to a whopping $55 million due to Jared Goff beginning next year, $27.5 million due to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and $19 million due to both Hutchinson and tackle Penei Sewell. Major roster decisions regarding free agents that might demand a hefty price tag to stick around with the team seem imminent if Holmes and the Lions are bent on retaining Hutchinson. Whatever it takes to make sure Hutchinson doesn't become the next Parsons, or Watt, or Garrett, should be of the highest priority for this front office, though. With concerns about his ability to bounce back from his 2024 injury beginning to fade with each passing day in training camp, it's becoming clearer that Detroit has to avoid a high profile contract dispute - a trend, it seems, becoming exclusive to pass rushers. More Lions news and analysis
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