Mikaela Mayer retained her WBO world welterweight title in Las Vegas, beating Britain’s Sandy Ryan unanimously to settle their bitter rivalry.
The American overcame a cut above the eye and Ryan’s rally in the later rounds, winning with judges’ scores of 97-93, 97-93, and 98-92. After her victory, Mayer targeted a title unification bout with another Briton, Lauren Price.
Mayer said, “Now it’s time for me to move on and go for undisputed,” announcing a potential “winner takes all” matchup with Price. The Welsh fighter added the WBC and IBF titles to the WBA crown she already held with a points victory over Natasha Jonas at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 7 March.
Saturday’s WBO title bout was a rematch after Mayer took the crown from Ryan in New York in September 2024. When Derby’s Ryan was splattered with red paint outside her hotel in what she called a “hit and run” attack, that competition got even more intense. Before the rematch, Mayer denied any involvement in the incident. The 34-year-old told BBC Sport, “Everyone who knows me, knows that would be out of character for me – it’s not my style.” “You can’t just point a finger when there is no evidence leading back to me.”
Mayer took control of the fight with a series of hard shots after a level start in Vegas. Ryan fought her way back admirably, connecting with some powerful punches as Mayer was left bloodied by a clash of heads. By then, though, the champion was too far ahead on the judges’ cards to be denied.
“I thought it was close. Mayer stated following her second victory over Ryan, “I thought I was doing well into the start, and then I got into a fight.” “Me and Sandy just set the new bar on what competitive fights should look like.”
