Toronto, Ontario – February 25, 2025 – Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today confirmed additional bouts for Most Valuable Prospects 11, set to take place on Friday, March 7, 2025, at the Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto. The event will be available globally for free on DAZN.com and the DAZN app with no subscription required. United Boxing Promotions will serve as the official licensed promoter. Most Valuable Prospects 11 marks a significant milestone for MVP’s up-and-coming talent showcase series in collaboration with Caribe Royale Orlando as it now comes to Canadian soil for the first time. Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects 11 are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca.
Canada’s own WBA light flyweight world champion Sara Bailey (5-0) will make a world title defense in the co-main event against newly named opponent Cristina “La Piccolina” Navarro (6-2, 1 KO), the WBA’s #5-ranked minimum weight from Zaragoza, Spain. The bout will be a 10 round women’s championship fight contested at 108 lbs. Also joining the main card will be an 8-round men’s super lightweight matchup between Barrie, Ontario’s “Marvelous” Mark Smither (13-1) vs. undefeated American Jaime Cuesta (10-0, 3 KOs).
MVP previously announced that the company’s undefeated #7-ranked WBA lightweight contender with the most-awarded knockout of 2024, “Prince” Lucas Bahdi (18-0, 15 KOs), will headline Most Valuable Prospects 11 against fellow undefeated fighter Ryan “The Untouchable” Racaza (15-0, 11 KOs) in a 10-round lightweight bout. MVP’s two-time Canadian Olympian, amateur world champion, and the #8-ranked WBA middleweight contender Tamm Thibeault (1-0) will also join the main card to face American Sonya Dreiling (6-7, 2 KOs), making a statement for equality in women’s boxing by fighting six, three-minute rounds.
The co-main event will feature Canada’s own WBA light flyweight world champion Sara Bailey (5-0) as she defends her title against Cristina “La Piccolina” Navarro (6-2, 1 KO), the WBA’s #5-ranked flyweight from Zaragoza, Spain. Bailey made history in April 2024, when she dethroned Maria Bautista and became the fastest Canadian to ever win a World Championship. The Etobicoke, Ontario resident trains out of the West End Athletic Club, promoted by United Boxing Promotions. Bailey now faces a tough challenge in Navarro, who claims a decorated amateur career with over 50 fights. Navarro earned bronze at the BOXAM international boxing tournament and won gold at the Spanish national championship in 2022. The 35-year-old Navarro entered the professional ranks shortly after becoming Spain’s national champion in 2022, and now will contend for her first professional title on Friday, March 7. She trains out of The Boxer Club in Spain.
Also on the main card, Barrie, Ontario’s “Marvelous” Mark Smither (13-1) will face off against the undefeated Jaime Cuesta (10-0, 3 KOs). Smither, represented by United Promotions, comes to the ring off his latest successful Canadian Super Lightweight title defense, looking to continue his ascent in front of his home fans as Cuesta, a 26-year-old fighter from San Diego, California looks to prove himself on the international stage.
On the preliminary card, Brampton, Ontario’s Doni Foreman (1-0, 1 KO) will face newly named opponent Pavel Ourednik (4-0, 4 KOs) in a 4-round heavyweight clash. Foreman, the 29-year-old standout addition to the pro ranks, comes to the ring off his debut knockout victory, looking to make a mark against Ourednik’s perfect record. The 24-year-old undefeated Ourednik comes to the ring from Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic. Joining them on the preliminary card will be Boxlab Promotions’ young talent Angel Barrientes (12-1, 7 KOs) out of Las Vegas, set to take on Tonawanda, NY fighter Alexander Castellano (11-1-2, 2 KOs) in an 8-round super bantamweight bout.
Newly joining the preliminary card will be United Promotions’ undefeated 6’7” Olympian Ricardo Brown (12-0, 11 KOs), scheduled for an 8-round heavyweight bout. The 34-year-old Brown comes to the ring from Brantford, Ontario by way of Spanish Town, Jamaica. Brown won the bronze medal for his home country of Jamaica at the Pan-American Games in 2019 before going on to compete for Jamaica at the Tokyo Olympics. Alex Bray (8-0, 7 KOs), the 18-year-old sensation from Melbourne, Florida, will also compete on the preliminary card in a 6-round super welterweight bout. Bray made headlines in December 2024 at MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 10 when he became the WBA Continental Americas super welterweight champion with a dominant first-round TKO victory over Argentina’s Gaston Rios.
“Most Valuable Prospects 11 is a huge milestone for MVP as we take our series international for the first time on Friday, March 7. Canada has an exceptional boxing culture, and we’re proud to showcase elite fighters like Sara Bailey and Mark Smither, as well as fast-rising prospects like Doni Foreman, alongside MVP’s own Lucas Bahdi and Tamm Thibeault on a global stage,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “This event embodies what MVP is all about—giving rising stars the platform they deserve while delivering must-watch fights for fans worldwide. We can’t wait to bring this action-packed card to Toronto and to boxing fans everywhere for free on DAZN.com and the DAZN app, with no subscription required.”
The Most Valuable Prospects series is produced and marketed by MVP. United Boxing Promotions serves as the official licensed promoter of Most Valuable Prospects 11. The 11th event in the series will continue the commitment from MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to highlight the world’s best up-and-coming boxing talent. All events within Most Valuable Prospects will take place on Friday nights in 2025. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drink, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of MVP and the Most Valuable Prospects series.
For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions and @DAZNBoxing.
About MVP
MVP 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. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last five global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Diaz match. The promotion company also 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 was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.
About DAZN
DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading tech, and multi-platform distribution. DAZN believes that fans from across the globe should be able to watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.
For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit?dazngroup.com.
About United Boxing Promotions
Featuring the province’s best fighters in world-class venues, Tyler Buxton’s United Boxing Promotions has a two-decade track record of developing elite-level Canadian boxing talent and delivering one of the premier fan experiences in Ontario sport.
About Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, Canada’s newest and largest casino resort, and one of the largest in North America, opened in June 2023. The $1 billion dollar landmark entertainment destination features 328,000 sq. ft. of gaming space including High Limit Table and Slot rooms, 400-room hotel, wellness and fitness area, multiple dining options, private event and flexible meeting space, and 5,000-person The Theatre, its live entertainment venue in association with Live Nation, which plays host to the best in live music, comedy, and special events.
Consistent with Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto’s commitment to responsible gambling, the property also features two PlaySmart Centres on the gaming floor, filled with engaging interactive tools and valuable responsible gambling resources available for all players, including information on how to participate in OLG’s voluntary My PlayBreak program if they choose to take a break from gambling.
For more information please visit greatcanadiantoronto.com or follow us on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
