MOST VALUABLE PROMOTIONS’ MVPW-05 PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES AND PHOTOS
Photo Link HERE (Credit: Harry Aaron / Most Valuable Promotions)
Watch the replay on Most Valuable Promotions’ YouTube HERE
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – AUGUST 6, 2026 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) hosted the final press conference ahead of MVPW-05, taking place this Saturday, August 8, live on ESPN and the ESPN App.
Fighters from across the main card gathered to share their final thoughts before fight night, including headliners MVP’s and Australia’s first-ever undisputed world champion in the four-belt era Cherneka Johnson (19-2, 8 KOs) and MVP’s and Denmark’s former unified champion and Boxrec’s #2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Dina Thorslund (24-0, 9 KOs), who will go face to face in a 10-round battle as Johnson defends her undisputed bantamweight titles at 118lbs. Also participating in the press conference were co-main event fighters MVP’s and Australia’s unified IBF and WBO middleweight world champion Desley Robinson (12-3, 4 KOs) and MVP’s #1 WBA, IBF, WBO and #2 WBC contender, 2x Canadian Olympian, and amateur world champion Tamm Thibeault (4-0, 3 KOs), along with MVP and Dallas, Texas’s former world champion and current WBO, IBF, and WBA #4 contender Shurretta Metcalf (15-5-1, 2 KOs), Ontario, Canada’s #7 IBF and #8 WBA contender Amanda Galle (12-1-1, 1 KO), MVP’s young Puerto Rican sensation Krystal Rosado (9-1, 2 KOs), and Mexico’s Alondra Hernandez (10-2, 2 KOs).
MVPW-05 Fight Week continues on Friday, August 7, with the official weigh-ins from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, streaming live on MVP’s YouTube channel at 6:00 pm ET. On Saturday, August 8, MVPW-05 will stream live on ESPN and the ESPN App from Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida, with the preliminary card airing at 6:30 pm ET and the main card airing at 10:00pm ET.
Hosted by Crystina Poncher, today’s press conference gave fans and media an early look at one of this year’s biggest nights in women’s boxing. See quotes below and view the full press conference on MVP’s YouTube channel.
CHERNEKA JOHNSON QUOTES:
On being focused on Saturday night’s fight:
I’ve got one focus and one focus only, and that’s bringing my best to the ring come Saturday night. And I believe I’m going to do that.
On representing Australia:
I believe it’s a really good opportunity for us to showcase what the women’s fighters in Australia can do and look at where we are. Look what we have. I’m grateful to be a part of the MVP team and here fighting live on ESPN and back home on Fox Sports,
On securing her position as top of the bantamweight division:
I know a lot of people in here still look at Dina [Thorslund] as the queen of the bantamweight division. She’s got something that I want, and I’m going to take that and all these belts back home.
On if she’d do MMA:
Look, I’m not going to say I’m any good at kicking or any other martial arts other than boxing. That’s been my whole focus, my whole career, and I believe that’s why I’m so good at it. But I’d never say no to an opportunity, and you never know what happens.
DINA THORSLUND QUOTES:
On story leading up to this fight:
I think a lot of people know my story with the whole miscarriage being last year, giving up two titles, and now people maybe have known about my sparring partner and good friend Raven Chapman. There’s a lot of emotion in this fight for me, and I’m too experienced to let it have a bad effect on me. So it’s like a deeper motivation, even worse now. I’m really looking forward to it.
On preparing to face Johnson:
I have made so many upgrades on both training, recovery, sleeping, eating, everything. I’m really well prepared for this fight and have an even deeper meaning with it.
On her excitement for Saturday night:
I just want to get in there, in that ring. That is the only thing I want to get in and get everything out, and I can’t wait to do that.
On how she plans to secure a win:
A win is a win. So, I will be satisfied with the decision, but my aim is to stop her. That is the high aim for me, and I’m not going to stop until I get the win.
On her motivation for taking back her belts:
I’m here for the sport, and I really want to have a good person representing the best elite of boxing, and I think I am that, and I will prove that as well on Saturday.
On if she’d do MMA:
Once I said to my husband, I actually thought about it [MMA] when I’m done boxing. I could call out the biggest and baddest in MMA, and he was like, “Nope, you’re not going to do that. I love you too much.” And I was like, well, okay, that’s fine with me.
DESLEY ROBINSON QUOTES:
On facing Thibeault:
Credit’s given where credit’s due. She’s had a great amateur career, but look, she hasn’t been tested. She hasn’t done the 10 rounds. She’s not at all been against someone like me. I think it’s going to be a great fight.
On wanting to add the Ring Magazine belt to her collection:
My goal is to take the fight off her as I did in my last fight, and continue to make statements. Although I am the champ, I still have that hunger to keep proving why I belong here and why I will be getting the Ring Magazine belt as well, which has also been added onto this [fight].
On representing Australia:
Being alongside Neekz [Cherneka Johnson], a fellow Aussie… we’ve climbed the amateurs together. We’ve worked our butts off in Australia, and we’re proving to Australia and now the world that us Aussies are world-class and we’re going to remain the world champs.
On coming back to the ring after her last title defense in May 2026:
It was a very quick turnaround, but we’re here, and we’re ready to get it done. And what better place than on Most Valuable Promotions?
On if she’d do MMA:
Definitely. I love to fight. Why not?
TAMM THIBEAULT QUOTES:
On pursuing a world title opportunity early in her professional career:
I take things as they are. The opportunity came. I took it, and it’s that simple.
On wanting to claim the WBO and IBF middleweight world titles:
I see the belts, and that’s what I want. So it’s really that again… It’s really that simple.
On having respect for her opponent:
I have respect for whoever steps in the ring with me, and I’m just really happy to be here and have this opportunity with MVPW
On her skills compared to Robinson:
I’m sharper. I’m faster. I’m stronger. I’m just better.
On if she’d do MMA:
Not happening. No, thank you. Not interested. I’m too tall and lengthy to be flipped into a pretzel. Not happening.
SHURRETTA METCALF QUOTES:
On dropping down to 115lbs:
I’m gonna be a two-time world champion, two-division world champion, and dropping down to 115…I feel like I can do that.
On facing Galle on Saturday night:
I’m ready to see what Amanda Galle has for me because I definitely got something for her.
On if she’d do MMA:
Well, you know, MMA to me is like a legal street fight. So I’m down.
AMANDA GALLE QUOTES:
On dropping down to 115lbs:
I think that to be at an elite level, there needs to be sacrifice involved to bring out the best character of you. And so with more sacrifice, you’re going to see a better Amanda Galle. I wanted to keep the doors open for me to be as busy as possible and have more opportunity for some gold, some belts, and fights.
On the differences between her and Metcalf’s past bouts with Johnson:
For anyone placing bets, if I recall, Shurretta [Metcalf] got stopped in round nine with Neekz, and I took Neekz to a decision with a 10-stitch cut.
On if she’d do MMA:
I’ve been doing martial arts since the age of six. So, I got a blue belt in jiu-jitsu. I can throw spin kicks like it’s breakfast. I can box. I can do ground game. If the money is right, I’d definitely say yes.
KRYSTAL ROSADO QUOTES:
***All quotes have been translated from Spanish to English.
On respecting her opponent:
I respect my opponent, and I know that she’s coming with everything like I am.
On representing Puerto Rico:
I’m very proud to represent Puerto Rico here, and that victory is going to come home.
On if she’d do MMA:
I’d love to.
ALONDRA HERNANDEZ QUOTES:
***All quotes have been translated from Spanish to English.
On what she learned from her past bout vs. Galle:
I learned a lot from that style because it was a different style, and those types of styles teach me a lot. I know that Krystal [Rosado] has a different style too from Amanda [Galle], and that’s going to get me better, and I’m ready for it.
On representing Mexico:
I know it would be a big win for me and just to represent the country of Mexico… It’s a great honor for me.
On if she’d do MMA:
No. Honestly…no. I’ll stick with boxing.
Tickets for MVPW-05 are on sale now on Ticketmaster.com. For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions, on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions.
About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)
Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) is a global combat sports and entertainment company built for the next generation of athletes and fans. The company operates across boxing, mixed martial arts, live events, media, content, athlete development, and global distribution, with a fighter-first philosophy centered on equitable compensation, maximum visibility, and long-term brand building.
Led by co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian and Chief Executive Officer John Martin and backed by founding investors 885 Capital & Knighthead, MVP promotes some of the world’s biggest combat sports events and represents a roster of nearly 400 elite athletes, including world champions, titleholders, contenders, and emerging stars. MVP’s portfolio includes MVP, MVPW, and MVP MMA, bringing together premier boxing and mixed martial arts properties under one global brand.
Through partnerships with leading media and distribution platforms including Netflix, ESPN, Sky Sports, and an extensive international network reaching fans across more than 170 countries, MVP delivers world-class competition and entertainment to audiences worldwide. By combining elite athletes, premium live events, compelling storytelling, and global media reach, MVP is building the future of combat sports.
MVP Promotions and Kayo Sports Present USA ESPN + Royale Caribe Orlando Card
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Prediction Record 132-33-9, 7-5 in feature fights
Most Valuable Promotions, Kayo Sports, ESPN and ESPN + will present an eight-bout card of championship professional boxing at Royal Caribe Orlando on Saturday evening, August 8, 2026, featuring two significant female world championships.
Most Valuable Promotions Royal Caribe Orlando Undercard Predictions
In the main event, two-minute rounds, this reporter predicts 24-0 World Boxing Council interim and former WBO World Female Bantamweight champion Dina Thorslund of Holstebro, Denmark, will win by 10-round unanimous decision, two-minute rounds, over 19-2 undisputed Female World Bantamweight champion Cherneka ‘Sugar Neekz’ Johnson, in a battle of female bantamweight champions.
Odds have Johnson as the Moneyline -122 to -128 favorite with odds of a knockout at 42 percent. Thorslund is at +100 to -108, near even with a 38 percent knockout chance. Odds of the bout going the ten-round distance are 1/7 at -700. Thorslund had vacated her female bantamweight bouts due to a pregnancy and miscarriage in 2025.
At 5’5″, Johnson relies heavily on physical power, coming forward with high-volume pressure and heavy-handed aggression. Thorslund uses exceptional ring generalship, is a technically precise, sharp counterpuncher, and methodically picks her opponents apart to outscore them and win rounds. Thorslund will have to control the ring from the get-go and make Johnson miss frequently to win the bout on the scorecards. Johnson has remained active, having fought eight times between 2024 and 2026, and Thorslund will have to overcome ring rust and avoid losing too many opening rounds and falling behind on the scorecards. Both fighters have been known to win 100-90 on various scorecards, and the bout could evolve into an elite battle of nerves, with precise punching and counterpunching making the bout exciting and close.
In the titular preliminary bout to the main event, this report predicts 12-3 female middleweight Desley Robinson by TKO in defense of her International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation World Middleweight titles, two-minute rounds, over Canadian southpaw Tamm Thibault, 4-0, Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada. Robinson has 10 regional and world title bouts experience, and has gone the ten-round distance four times, and the eight-round distance five times, while Thibault has never gone past the fifth round. The bout is being fought on neutral territory, and if Robinson takes a cautious defensive approach to an unbeaten yet unknown opponent, Thibault has an outside chance of going the distance, but is unlikely to win more than a round or two on the cards if this scenario plays out.
This reporter predicts 13-0 Daniel Pero of Miami, Florida, by way of Camaguey, Cuba, to win by TKO over 10-1 Aleem Whitfield of Geneva, New York, in a probable multiple knockdown slugfest.
This reporter predicts 5-0-1 female flyweight Sheyla Moreno Castillo of Mexico to win by six-round majority decision, two-minute rounds, over 1-0 Sa’Rai Brown-El of Marietta, Georgia.
This reporter predicts 11-0 middleweight Sebastian Juarez to win by six rounds unanimous decision over 9-6 Rance Ward of Houma, Louisiana.
This reporter predicts 1-0 featherweight Angelo Hernandez of Brandon, Florida to win by four rounds unanimous decision over 2-1 Jose Hernandez of Caracas, Venezuela.
In the opening bout, this reporter predicts 2-0 Jadden Addison, a lightweight prospect from Tampa, Florida, to win by four rounds unanimous decision over an opponent to be named.
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