How Jake Paul 'offended' Amanda Serrano in first meeting
Serrano will fight Katie Taylor in the main event of a loaded, all-women card at Madison Square Garden in New York Friday, July 11. This week, Bidarian reflected on Serrano's first encounter with Paul.
It happened in 2020 when Serrano fought on the undercard of Paul's pro boxing debut, according to Bidarian.
'She tried to shake Jake's hand,'' Bidarian told USA TODAY Sports. 'Jake gave her a fist bump. She later told us she was offended.''
But Paul meant no offense with the fist bump, Bidarian said.
'He was actually very sick,'' Bidarian said. 'We didn't realize he had COVID. It hadn't been announced yet that COVID was a thing, but Jake was very, very sick.
'And so, fast forward from there.''
(Paul's pro boxing debut came in January 2020.)
Serrano signed with MVP in September 2021, and her visibility and bank account quickly grew. She will make more than $2 million when she fights Taylor for the third time, according to Bidarian.
Serrano's success with MVP has given the company credibility with other top women fighters – 20 who have joined Serrano at MVP.
'Listen, Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian and MVP have changed my life completely,'' Serrano said on "The Breakfast Club" podcast June 10. 'They have changed the sport of female boxing, and I am super proud to be part of that.''
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Former Thunder star James Harden ranked No. 34 in NBA history
As we enter the sizzling summer months, we're approaching the point in the calendar year when the NBA takes a couple of months off. That allows for plenty of time to be perspective and reflect on what's happened in the past. The Bleacher Report NBA staff took advantage of the downtime. They ranked the top 100 NBA players of all time. The extensive project had an all-hands-on-deck approach. They conjured up the votes and released a naturally controversial ranking. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's exclusion might be one of the biggest snubs, there were other players who represented the Oklahoma City Thunder among the 100 players. One is James Harden. He came in at No. 34 spot in the rankings. Harden spent the first three of his 16 seasons on the Thunder. His stint was highlighted by a 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year award. He was the third-best player on an NBA Finals team. Not agreeing to an extension, he was shockingly traded to the Houston Rockets, where he blossomed into one of the greatest scorers of all time and an MVP winner. "One of the most devastating pick-and-roll forces the game has ever seen, Harden also developed into an unstoppable isolation threat," Bleacher Report wrote. "Elite quickness, strength and craft made it impossible to stay in front of Harden, and then he perfected a step-back three-pointer so deadly that opponents actually preferred to play defense behind him." While Harden went on to enjoy historic individual success, he's yet to return to the NBA Finals since 2012. That's the one hiccup to a near-perfect resume of one of the greatest players ever. He was a consistent 30-plus point threat in his prime and a perennial All-Star and All-NBA member. "An extremely heliocentric star who has led the league in usage rate twice, never consistently defended and couldn't lead his team to a title," Bleacher Report wrote. "Harden has more than his share of detractors. But he was also among the best offensive players in the game for a decade. That matters." Harden has spent most of his career with the Rockets. He's also had stops on the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and LA Clippers. The 35-year-old has taken a step back, but remains one of the league's top players.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Why the Seattle Storm's Nneka Ogwumike might be the most underrated WNBA All-Star
Ogwumike's style of play isn't the flashiest. Her game is rooted in efficiency and her ability to score at all levels and defend multiple positions might fly under the radar. Although Ogwumike has the When debates about the WNBA all-time greats take place across the airwaves or World Wide Web, one name is often omitted. Nneka Ogwumike, first with the Los Angeles Sparks and now the Seattle Storm, has been an enduring presence and will play in her 10th All-Star Game on Saturday in Indianapolis. '(Nneka Ogwumike's) the most disrespected MVP in the history of our league," Storm teammate Skylar Diggins said after Ogwumike quietly passed Hall of Famer Tina Thompson for fourth place on the WNBA's all-time field-goal list on June 17. 'She's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.' Ogwumike's style of play isn't the flashiest. Her game is rooted in efficiency and her ability to score at all levels and defend multiple positions might fly under the radar. Although Ogwumike has the respect of her peers on and off the court, her continued excellence doesn't always earn national hype or recognition. That used to bother Ogwumike. But as the 14-year veteran adds to her lengthy resume – which includes No. 1 overall pick, WNBA champion, Rookie of the Year, MVP, first-team All-WNBA and four-time WNBA All-Defensive First Team – Ogwumike is at a place where she isn't looking for validation. "I've been through times where I would do my job, but I felt like because I'm not a squeaky wheel, a lot of people felt it's OK to overlook me and abuse my cooperativeness," Ogwumike said. "I had to get through that and allow myself not to be eaten up by these ideas that I'm not worthy or that I'm not great." 2025 WNBA ALL-STAR DRAFT RESULTS: Caitlin Clark selects Fever teammates Ogwumike was named All-Star starter for the fourth consecutive season and joins Sue Bird (13), Diana Taurasi (11), Tamika Catchings (10) and Brittney Griner (10) as the only players in WNBA history to receive 10 All-Star nods. Ogwumike said accomplishments like this one "hits me a little bit more when I see the company that I am surrounded by in whatever stats people throw at me." "For her to continue to break records and be mentioned amongst the greats means she is herself a great," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said. "She's greatness personified." Longevity fuels records As teammate Erica Wheeler gave Ogwumike her flowers for passing Sue Bird (6,803) and Cappie Pondexter (6,811) to move into seventh place on the WNBA's All-time scoring list on July 3 – "Every time we play, a record's being broken" – Ogwumike humbly interjected and sheepishly said: "I've been playing a long time.' The Stanford alum was selected first overall in the 2012 WNBA draft by the Sparks and was named the Rookie of the Year. She led the Sparks to a WNBA title in 2016 alongside Candace Parker after picking up the league's MVP award, averaging a career-high 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and recording career-highs from the field (66.5%) and from 3 (61.5%). Her 73.7% true shooting percentage, which combines field-goal percentage, 3-point and free-throw percentages, set a record for the most efficient shooting performance across a season in the WNBA or NBA in 2016. That record stands nearly a decade later. "I'm very grateful. I feel like I've been telling myself, 'You've been playing a long time. That's why people keep telling me that I broke this record,'" said Ogwumike, who currently also ranks eighth all-time in rebounds. "But I am still really grateful." In celebration of the WNBA's 25th season in 2021, Ogwumike was named to The W25, a prestigious "collection of the 25 greatest and most influential players in WNBA history," announced by the league. Following 12 season with the Sparks, Ogwumike signed with the Storm in 2024. In her 14th season in the league, Ogwumike is averaging 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists shooting 51.2% from the field through 22 games. Ogwumike was not only able to "find new life in Seattle," she once again made Seattle a desirable destination for free agents. 'I came (to Seattle) to play with Nneka,' said Diggins, who signed with the Storm in February 2024. 'What she does, you know, day in and day out – it's special. And you shouldn't take it for granted." The 'voice of the players' Ogwumike isn't nicknamed "Madam President" for nothing. Ogwumike has served as the president of the Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) since 2016. As Terri Jackson, the WNBPA's executive director puts it, "Nneka is the voice of the players." It's not a duty she takes lightly. "We're a league full of women who understand what's most important," Ogwumike said in Prime Video's 2024 documentary "Power of the Dream," which highlights the WNBA's efforts in flipping a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia that was previously held by former Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler. (Ogwumike produced the film alongside Sue Bird, Tracee Ellis Ross and Dawn Porter.) "There are so many things bigger than us that require our attention and require our advocacy and activism because we have the platform." Ogwumike led the WNBA player's efforts to endorse Democrat Raphael Warnock in the 2020 special election after Loeffler, a Republican, made controversial comments viewed by many as anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ. Ogwumike, a three-time Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award winner, is now leading the league's players in collective bargaining agreement negotiations as the current contract expires at the end of the 2025 season. "Her approach to her every day life is such a great example for us all," Quinn said of Ogwumike. "The way she leads, the way she communicates, the way she constantly puts others first. Her careers been that." MORE: As growth soars, WNBA players tell commissioner Cathy Engelbert pay scale should follow Storm brewing at the 2025 All-Star Game The Seattle Storm earned three All-Star selections – Ogwumike (starter), Diggins (reserve) and Gabby Williams (reserve) – tying the Indiana Fever for the most representatives in the league. Ogwumike and Diggins were drafted to Team Naphessa Collier, and Williams landed on Team Caitlin Clark in her first All-Star bid. Ogwumike said she's "sick" about ending up on a different team than Williams, jokingly adding she's "not guarding" Williams. Not only will Williams face off against her Storm teammates, she will also go against her college teammates. Williams played alongside Collier and Breanna Stewart at UConn. "I'm just happy to be here. It's my first one," Williams said. "The only thing that makes me nervous is that I'm going to be a little lost puppy on the other team. "It is going to be weird that I'm playing against my UConn teammates and my Seattle teammates. It's funny how that worked out." The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news – fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Marcell Ozuna Trade? Why Latest Braves Rumors Make Perfect Sense
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently suggested the Atlanta Braves would look to trade former MVP candidate Marcell Ozuna in the coming weeks and listed the San Diego Padres as the best landing spot in a potential deal. "The Braves might not opt to sell aggressively, but moving Ozuna makes perfect sense in the final season of his five-year, $80 million deal," Reuter wrote. "His lack of defensive value limits his list of potential landing spots, but in a thin market for bats, he is one of the few capable of making an impact with a 115 OPS+ and 13 home runs in 389 plate appearances. "The Padres have been using Trenton Brooks as their primary designated hitter for the past month, and he is hitting .167/.189/.306 for a 35 OPS+ with 13 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances." ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 2: Austin Riley #27 and Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate following the 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Truist Park on July 2, 2025 in Atlanta,... ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 2: Austin Riley #27 and Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate following the 8-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Truist Park on July 2, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. MoreThis idea makes perfect sense for both sides. The Braves are seemingly out of postseason contention after a horrendous first half of the season, but their roster isn't bad. Ozuna's contract expires at the end of the season, and it's unlikely Atlanta wants to give an aging designated hitter a huge contract. Trading him before he hits free agency is the right move. For the Padres, it's crucial they add a designated hitter who can do damage and help protect Fernando Tatis Jr. and company in the middle of the lineup. Ozuna would be the best option on the table, so he should be the top player on their list of options. Since he's an expiring designated hitter, it likely wouldn't cost any top prospects for the Padres to acquire him. San Diego could cut ties with one or two mid-level prospects for half a season of Ozuna's services, and it would help close the gap on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. More MLB: Luis Robert Jr. Trade? Why Latest Reds Trade Rumors Make Perfect Sense
