Mikaela Mayer won a world title in a second weight class on Friday, defeating Sandy Ryan by majority decision to win the WBO welterweight title at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
One judge had it tied at 95-95, while the other two scored it for Mayer (20-2, 5 knockouts), 97-93 and 96-94 in the ESPN televised main event.
The victory comes in Mayer’s second attempt to secure a 147-pound title, having lost a split decision to IBF titleholder Natasha Jonas in January. Ryan from Derby, United Kingdom, was making the third defense of her title, which she won in April 2023.
“It was similar to how I thought it would go,” Mayer said. “I’ve always said before that I respect Sandy as a boxer. She has a big pedigree just like me, but I knew I was going to beat her. I knew I was faster. I knew I was sharper. And that’s exactly what I did.”
The fight almost never made it to the ring as Ryan, fighting for only the second time in America, was covered in red paint by an unidentified person wearing a hoodie as she made her way to the arena. Kay Koroma, the boxing trainer who advises Ryan and previously worked with Mayer, suggested to Ryan that she give up the fight. The incident only seemed to fuel Ryan. When asked in a pre-fight interview if she had anything to do with the incident, Mayer denied any involvement.
“It made me uneasy at first. When I walked into the venue, I was shocked. And then it kind of threw me off my game plan because I just wanted to fight,” said Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs)
“You saw at the beginning of the fight, I handled her pretty well on the jab. I boxed her and then I started to pick it up. But then of course I pushed it too hard.”
Mayer, a 2016 U.S. Olympian from Los Angeles, started strong in the first round, rocking the aggressive Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) with a right hand. Mayer, although only half an inch taller at 5’9”, took full advantage of her range and controlled the fight in the first round by stepping to her left when Ryan failed to cut off the ring.
Ryan made began to step up the pressure in the third round, digging to Mayer’s body and stepping to her right to take away Mayer’s escape route. Even as Ryan turned up the intensity, Mayer met her halfway, landing sharp combinations that caught the judges’ eyes. Mayer was clearly the better technician, but Ryan had more punch and was physically stronger, leading to a major clash of styles.
Ryan landed her best blow of the fight in the opening moments of the sixth round when a left hook snapped Mayer’s head back. Mayer sucked in a firefight in this round and dished out the punishment as well, but more than head coach Al Mitchell and camp newcomer Kofi Jantuah would have wanted her to.
Mayer recovered her boxing in the seventh round by keeping the distance and looking to time Ryan with right hand counters. Ryan opened the eighth with renewed energy, landing big hooks as Mayer looked tired from her big round the previous stanza. Although Ryan had her best success in the near future, it was Mayer who landed more effectively with uppercuts.
“She is probably the strongest person I have ever boxed. Not so much in her shots, but you could feel it in her body in the way she tried to push me around the ring. But, you know, skill beats strength,” Mayer said.
“I want to finish what I started and remain undisputed. You know, I came very close to lightweight. But my body has outgrown that weight. I am comfortable now. I feel like I’m stronger than ever. I’m still in my prime, as you can see. So I’m coming for the other champions.”
The win reinvigorates Mayer’s career after falling to Alycia Baumgardner and Jonas in her last two title fights. Mayer previously held the WBO and IBF titles at 130 pounds and made three defenses before losing a split decision to Baumgardner.
