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Former world bantamweight champion Shannon Courtenay has officially signed with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), joining its rapidly expanding roster of female talent.
Backed by the sport's most talked-about disruptor, Courtenay is aiming to climb back to world champion status at a time when women's boxing is bigger, bolder, and more visible than ever.
The 31-year-old fighter from Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire is one of many marquee names to sign with the promotional outfit that is quickly rewriting the destiny of women's boxing.
Courtenay, who famously won the WBA bantamweight title in 2021 in a barnstorming battle against Australia's Ebanie Bridges, is aiming to become a two-time world champion.
With MVP’s backing - from unrivalled media reach to blockbuster events and a platform few female fighters have ever been afforded - it may not be a matter of if, but when.
'My main focus is becoming a two-time world champion and with the backing of MVP I know I can go on to winning more titles,' Courtenay said in a statement released today.
Shannon Courtenay has officially signed with Jake Paul 's Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)
The former world bantamweight champion's move comes amid a resurgence in women's boxing, with MVP - co-founded by Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul (right) - leading the charge
The 31-year-old fighter from Abbots Langley is aiming to become a two-time world champion
'Women's boxing was beginning to get forgotten about again, but then MVP have come along, ripped up the script, and made it bigger than ever. I can't wait to get amongst it!'
The move comes amid a resurgence in women's boxing, with MVP - co-founded by Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul - leading the charge.
The promotion's recent Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3 blockbuster at Madison Square Garden made history as the first all-women's card at the venue, earning a Guinness World Record title for most world championship belts contested on a single fight card.
With over 4.2million U.S. viewers (Live +1) and a $2.63 million gate, the historic event became the most-watched women's professional sports event of the year.
Speaking about their latest signings, Paul and Bidarian said: 'Women's boxing has never been stronger globally and today's signings further cement MVP's commitment to continuing to invest and elevate the sport like no boxing promotional brand has before.
'Shannon, Desley, Jasmine, Sa'Rai, and Yesica represent five powerful stories, four countries with proud boxing legacy, and one shared mission: to compete and win at the highest level.
'The UK has the best concentration of elite female boxers in the world, and MVP is strategically focused on building out a robust British roster that will allow us to bring MVP events to the market. Shannon joins Ellie Scotney, Chantelle Cameron, Savannah Marshall and Ramla Ali, who are all power players in women's boxing.'
Courtenay's career since her title-winning night has seen both highs and setbacks. After losing the belt on the scales in October 2021 due to a missed weight - later attributed to an unanticipated menstrual cycle - she dropped a majority decision to Jamie Mitchell in a valiant attempt to reclaim the vacant title.
After a lengthy layoff and injuries, Courtenay returned to action in late 2024, narrowly losing a competitive six-round contest to Catherine Tacone Ramos.
For MVP, Courtenay represents not only a former world champion with unfinished business but a compelling personality capable of capturing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic
Courtenay will now compete alongside a growing stable of decorated women's champions
Her journey from party lifestyle to global stage embodies the kind of drive MVP thrives on
Joining MVP signals more than just a promotional switch, it's a strategic alignment with a company known for transforming fighters into stars and building mega-events around elite talent.
Courtenay will now compete alongside a growing stable of decorated women's champions, including Australia's unified middleweight titleholder Desley 'Destroyer' Robinson (10-3, 3 KOs), unbeaten WBA super flyweight queen Jasmine 'Animal' Artiga (13-0-1, 6 KOs), 19-time US national champion Sa'Rai El-Brown, and Mexico's former unified light flyweight champion Yesica Nery Plata (30‑2, 3 KOs).
For MVP, Courtenay represents not only a former world champion with unfinished business but a compelling personality capable of capturing audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
Her journey from party lifestyle to global stage embodies the kind of redemption and drive MVP thrives on and may well propel her back to the top of the bantamweight division.
With momentum building and a world-class platform now behind her, Shannon Courtenay's comeback story is poised to enter its most thrilling chapter yet.
