San Juan Puerto Rico – For the first time in almost three and a half years, Jake Paul will not be the main event of a boxing card.
Paul, who has become one of the faces of the sport as well as a successful promoter, may have his toughest fight yet with Ryan Bourland on Saturday. Bourland is the most experienced fighter Paul has faced, with 19 professional fights under his belt (he has won 17 of them).
However, in perhaps an unusual move for Paul, who boasts tens of millions of followers on social media, she is taking a back seat on her own card to give a legend of women's boxing a proper homecoming.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Amanda Serrano of Puerto Rico poses for a photo with Most Valuable Promotions founder Jake Paul at the Empire State Building before her world lightweight title fight against Katie Taylor of Ireland on April 26, 2022 in New York , NY. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Amanda Serrano, who signed a contract with Paul's Most Valuable Promotions in 2021, the year it was founded, will fight her 50th professional match this Saturday in her native Puerto Rico at the island's famous Coliseum, and is expected to sell out. for the 18,500-person stadium. expected.
Since his boxing career, Paul has made the island his home to get away from the constant media and focus on training. However, despite his celebrity status and fighting in his new home, making the Puerto Rican native the main event “wasn't even a question.”
“I always wanted that for her. This is her moment and her time to shine,” Paul told Fox News Digital before Saturday's fight. “It's great to support her. She really deserves this moment and has worked really hard for it. I'm happy to be a fan. You have no pressure when you're not the main event, but you hear the crowd is a lot louder for her. That's why this It's your place, your time to shine.”
Amanda Serrano and Jake Paul, one of the co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions, pose for the media during a press conference to announce the upcoming Taylor vs Serrano fight at Madison Square Garden on February 2, 2022 in New York City . (J. Yim/Getty Images)
RENOWNED FIGHTER AMANDA SERRANO SAYS TEAMING WITH JAKE PAUL IS 'THE BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE IN BOXING'
Serrano led Madison Square Garden against Katie Taylor in 2022. It was the first women's boxing match to headline the most famous arena in the world. However, Saturday's fight of her against Nina Meinke will likely stand out above the rest.
“Super excited. I want this to be over now,” Serrano said at Thursday's press conference in San Juan. “It's been a long preparation, a long camp, I trained very hard. I'm mentally and physically ready to put on a great show at the Coliseum, with a sold out crowd and a tough and durable opponent.”
For Serrano, there is some added juice to being a female star in a predominantly male sport.
“We're going to go out and show that women can fight. We can sell, obviously.”
Paul added: “This is a very important fight for boxing… I feel like it's going to be one of the loudest events in boxing history.”
Most Valuable Promotions co-owner Jake Paul and Amanda Serrano speak during a press conference at the Leadenhall Building in London on Monday, February 7, 2022. (Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Both Paul and Serrano are big favorites in their respective fights, so it is expected to be another successful night for MVP.
