Press Release: December 13, 2024 By Most Valuable Promotions - MVP deepens its commitment to empowering female fighters by signing Thibeault, who makes a bold statement for equality in historic first-ever women’s pro debut under men’s rules—four three-minute rounds—at Most Valuable Prospects 10
Thibeault becomes MVP’s first female Canadian signee and joins “Prince” Lucas Bahdi as MVP’s second Canadian athlete
NEW YORK, NY – December 13, 2024 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) announced today that two-time Canadian Olympian and amateur world champion Tammara “Tamm” Thibeault will be the newest signee to MVP’s growing roster of world-class fighters. Thibeault joins MVP just ahead of her highly-anticipated pro debut against fellow Canadian and the #10 WBA-ranked middleweight, Natasha “The Nightmare” Spence (8-6, 6 KOs). Thibeault, a passionate advocate for gender equality in the sport, is making a powerful statement from the opening bell of her professional career as the first female boxer in history to compete in a pro debut under men’s rules—four three-minute rounds—in a middleweight / 160 lbs bout against Spence. The bout will open the main card of MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 10 on Friday, December 13 in Orlando, FL, available globally as part of the DAZN subscription package, with Boxlab Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter. Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano, and fellow Canadian signee Lucas Bahdi will be in attendance to support Thibeault and fellow MVP star Wanna Walton.
Originally from Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada, Thibeault began her boxing journey at the age of nine, inspired by seeing her father, a former CFL athlete who took up boxing in his offseason, knock out an opponent during a Provincial tournament. Following in his footsteps, she took up boxing at age 12 and was inspired to compete for Canada while watching the first women’s Olympic boxing competition at the 2012 London Olympics. Since then, the 27-year-old middleweight, a southpaw standing 6 feet tall, has forged an outstanding career in the amateur ranks. A two-time Olympian, Thibeault made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, where she advanced to the quarterfinals of the women’s 75kg (165lb) event, matching Canada’s best-ever Olympic result in any women’s boxing event. She went undefeated until she returned to the Paris Olympics in 2024, earning gold medals at the 2022 IBA Amateur World Championship, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the 2023 Pan Am Games. Thibeault, who speaks French, English, and Spanish, recently completed a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Concordia University in 2023, which she earned over seven years while competing. She currently lives in Sheffield, England, where she is earning a one-year Master’s degree in urban design and urban planning while training at the renowned Steel City Gym. She is now poised to embark on the next chapter of her career, setting a new precedent in the pro ranks as the first female boxer in history to make a pro debut while competing under men’s rules, three-minute rounds, on the main card of MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 10.
“I am beyond excited to be part of Most Valuable Promotions,” said Tamm Thibeault. “The moment has come to start a new adventure, and I truly believe that with MVP, I will have the opportunity to bring something great to women’s professional boxing. Amanda Serrano has been an incredible inspiration, championing women’s choice in this sport, and I’m proud to follow her example by competing under men’s rules—with three-minute rounds—against Natasha Spence in my pro debut today. This is only the beginning, and I can’t wait to start this amazing journey!”
“I’m thrilled to welcome another strong female fighter in Tamm Thibeault to the MVP family,” said Amanda Serrano. “Tamm’s impressive accomplishments at the amateur level speak volumes about her talent and potential, and I’m confident she’s destined to become a future superstar. Most importantly, she shares our vision to uplift female fighters and show the world that women deserve recognition, a platform, and equal opportunity in this sport. By stepping into the ring to compete with three-minute rounds in her first pro fight, Tamm is making a bold statement on equality and setting a powerful example for the next generation of women in boxing. Change is coming.”
"Tamm Thibeault has the skills inside and outside the ring to ensure she has a long and successful boxing career," said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. "As a two-time Canadian Olympian and amateur world champion, Tamm has already proven herself as one of the sport's brightest rising stars. Her decision to compete under men’s rules in her professional debut is a groundbreaking moment, and we’re honored to support her as she sets a new standard for what’s possible in women’s boxing. The anticipation for her pro debut on Most Valuable Prospects 10 tonight is just the beginning, and we’re excited to see her continue inspiring athletes worldwide and showcasing her talents in an MVP event in Canada in 2025.
Thibeault joins MVP’s elite roster of superstar athletes and up-and-coming stars including international superstar Jake “El Gallo” Paul, boxing trailblazer and unified featherweight world champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano, prolific top boxing prospect H2O Sylve, MVP’s first homegrown champion, the new WBO Super Middleweight Champion, Shadasia “The Sweet Terminator” Green, multi-talented megastar Javon “Wanna” Walton, India’s most successful professional boxer Neeraj Goyat, and top-ranked lightweight “Prince” Lucas Bahdi.
Founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, MVP aims to give athletes creative control, and aims to identify, grow, and maximize return for its talent partners and events. Together, Paul and Bidarian have architected Jake Paul’s meteoric rise in combat sports. In 2021, MVP signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano, who has since achieved historic milestones, including becoming Puerto Rico’s first-ever undisputed champion and competing in the first unified women’s championship fight contested over 12 three-minute rounds—the men’s championship standard—held in October 2023. Her previous historic clash against Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden in 2022 earned recognition as Sports Illustrated’s Fight of the Year, The Ring’s Event of the Year, and was further nominated for Event of the Year by Sports Business Journal. The event marked a pivotal point in women’s sports history as the first time women have headlined a main event at the world-renowned venue in New York City.
MVP’s recent collaboration with Netflix broke records with the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson mega-event, which is now the most-streamed sporting event ever, peaking at 65 million concurrent streams globally, with 38 million in the U.S. The event drew an average minute audience (AMA) of 108 million live viewers globally, which grew to 125 million (Live+1) over the weekend. Co-headlining the historic card, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2 became the most-watched professional women’s sports event in U.S. history, with an AMA of 47 million viewers domestically and 74 million globally. The event also ranked as the #1 title on Netflix in 78 countries, including the U.S., UK, Brazil, and India, and trended as the #1 topic worldwide on X during the event. Joe Hand Promotions reported that over 1 million viewers watched from 6,000 bars and restaurants in the U.S., breaking commercial distribution records.
For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions, @JakePaul, and @TammThibeault or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions, @JakePaul, and @tammthibeault.
About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)
Most Valuable Promotions 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. Since inception MVP has consistently produced the biggest combat sports pay-per-view events. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. The company 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 is the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.
Material Courtesy of: Most Valuable Promotions Used with permission
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