At the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York, American Mikaela Mayer defeated Britain’s Sandy Ryan by Majority Decision, thus claiming the WBO women’s welterweight world title. A victory achieved by the narrowest margin, which will undoubtedly spark controversy, both due to the extreme difficulty in scoring certain rounds and an unpleasant incident before the fight.
While leaving her hotel to head to the fight venue, Sandy Ryan was attacked by a man who dumped the contents of a can of red paint over her. The reigning champion reported the incident live from her locker room during a pre-match interview, accusing Mikaela Mayer’s team and appearing visibly shaken and upset by the event.
It is unclear whether this additional tension played a role in the dynamics following the first bell, but certainly, the English boxer’s approach was not ideal, as in the opening round, she was caught by a violent right hand from the challenger that buckled her knees momentarily.
Ryan quickly adjusted and was favored in the next two rounds thanks to her aggression and two-handed combinations. Mayer, on the other hand, decided to give up the center of the ring to the champion, trying to stop her momentum with counterpunches while moving laterally without pause.
Soon, the challenger realized she needed more power and pace in her punches to hold back her opponent, and from the fourth round onward, she unleashed an impressive barrage. Closing the distance and working up close became a difficult task for Ryan, who reached the halfway mark with a slight disadvantage.
Aware that she needed to do more to win away from home, the champion attacked the second half of the match with tremendous fighting spirit, putting on an excellent sixth round and landing two breathtaking hooks at the end of the seventh that seemed to briefly shake the challenger.
However, this brief success negatively affected the British boxer’s emotional control, as, eager to turn the fight in her favor, she fought a catastrophic eighth round. For two minutes, Ryan rushed forward in a straight line, neglecting her defense and exposing herself to Mayer’s counterpunches, which the American capitalized on.
The eighth round proved crucial for Mayer, not only halting Ryan’s comeback but also dealing enough damage to make it difficult for Ryan to dominate the so-called championship rounds. However, the fight still seemed evenly balanced.
The last two rounds did not resolve the uncertainty surrounding the winner, as they were extremely close. In both rounds, Ryan started with great aggression but failed to sustain it for the full two minutes, allowing Mayer’s furious responses.
Perhaps on neutral ground, the flurries Ryan managed to produce in the final moments of the last two rounds could have tipped the scales in her favor. However, the fight took place in the USA, at a Top Rank event, and in such a close contest, it was hard to expect a different outcome from the one declared by the judges.
At the end of the fight, I had Sandy Ryan ahead by two points, but the large number of close rounds makes the scorecards of Benoit Roussel (94-96) and Bob Williams (95-95) acceptable. However, Waleska Roldan’s score of 93-97 appears too generous toward the hometown fighter.
On the one hand, Mikaela Mayer had the merit of flawlessly following her game plan, making all the right choices to secure the victory. On the other hand, Sandy Ryan appeared to be overwhelmed by tension at critical moments, making tactical errors that proved decisive.
Regardless of what anyone may think of the verdict, this match delivered intense emotions and a tremendous spectacle, undoubtedly making it a strong contender for Female Fight of the Year. A rematch between these two phenomenal warriors would be highly anticipated.