Orlando, Florida will be draped in blue, green, and yellow on June 7, as the Caribe Royale Resort hosts a Brazilian-themed edition of MVP's' Most Valuable Prospects series.
The main event will see IBF lightweight world titlist Beatriz “The Beast” Ferreira, 6-0 (2 KOs), make the second defense of her crown against Maria Ines “Dinamita” Ferreyra, 11-0-1 (6 KOs), from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the co-main event, MVP’s newest signee, two-time Brazilian Olympian Keno Marley will make his professional debut over 4 rounds in the cruiserweight division against Dallas, Georgia’s undefeated Sean Sparks, 2-0 (2 KOs). Also on the main card will be an 8-round lightweight bout between Brazilian national champion Luan Almeida, 5-0 (4 KOs), and Crescent City, Florida’s Tony Aguilar, 13-1-1 (4 KOs).
The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP, promoted by MVP and Boxlab Promotions, and distributed globally by DAZN. The June 7 card will mark the 13th installment of the franchise.
Ferreira won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, turned pro in 2022 and won her title against Yanina Lescano in April 2024. She then returned to the Olympics, earning bronze at the 2024 Paris games, before making a successful first title defense via 10-round unanimous decision over France's Licia Boudersa in Monte-Carlo.
“I want to thank Matchroom and Most Valuable Promotions for this opportunity and I am very excited to return to the United States to defend my world title,” said Ferreira. “I am expecting a very tough challenge from my opponent, I know she is no joke and is coming to take my title but these are the types of challenges I want. It's exciting times for women’s boxing and I want to be part of these big nights. I am ready for all the big names that people are talking about and I will prove this on Saturday, June 7th.”
Marley, who signed with MVP in April,
reached the quarter-finals of both the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo (losing a narrow 3-2 decision to Ben Whittaker) and the 2024 Games in Paris. Additionally, he won a gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, and took silver at the 2019 and 2023 Pan-American Games and the 2021 world championships.
“I’ve been boxing for 11 years now. To finally get to the point where I’m about to make my pro debut after all I’ve done so far feels surreal,” said the 24-year-old Marley. “I’m really excited and thankful that MVP is the stage where I’m starting my boxing career. I’m doing exactly what I wanted, when I wanted, and where I wanted, so I can’t be anything but thankful about my life right now! Saturday, June 7 can’t get here soon enough.”
“On Saturday, June 7, our newest signee and two-time Brazilian Olympian Keno Marley will be making his pro debut as part of a card that uniquely celebrates the tremendous talent and achievements of Brazilian boxing,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions, in a statement.
“This event also marks the return of MVP’s Championship Edition, which first featured Amanda Serrano’s historic 12x3:00 unified women’s world championship bout against Danila Ramos in October 2023. We are proud to now spotlight two more world-class women’s fighters as Brazil’s Olympic silver medalist Beatriz Ferreira defends her IBF world title against a difficult challenger in Maria Ines Ferreyra. Most Valuable Prospects 13 continues to showcase some of the most exciting women’s fighters and rising prospects in the sport—both core tenets of our MVP mission–in partnership with DAZN and Boxlab Promotions.”
Kieran Mulvaney has written, broadcast and podcast about boxing for HBO, Showtime, ESPN and Reuters, among other outlets. He presently co-hosts the “Fighter Health Podcast” with Dr. Margaret Goodman. He also writes regularly for National Geographic, has written several books on the Arctic and Antarctic, and is at his happiest hanging out with wild polar bears. His website is www.kieranmulvaney.com