It’s a unique revenge arc for Derby’s own Sandy Ryan as she gears up for a second shot at WBO welterweight champion Mikaela Mayer. Their first encounter, back in September last year, ended in heartbreak for Ryan—not only did she lose her WBO title via a narrow majority decision, but her pride also took a hit following a bizarre pre-fight incident at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
Now, with redemption on the line, the two rivals are set to clash once again, this time under the bright lights of the Fontainebleau Arena in Las Vegas on March 29. But as fight night approaches, fans can’t help but revisit the question, what exactly happened before their first bout that’s fueling Ryan’s quest for revenge? Spoiler—Ryan was doused with paint ahead of the fight, sparking controversy and finger-pointing in Mayer’s direction.
Sandy Ryan attacked with paint
The 31-year-old’s title defense last year took a shocking turn before she ever got the chance to enter the ring. Just hours prior to the fight on Friday night, the Derby, Derbyshire native was struck by an open can of paint as she was leaving her hotel in New York. “I felt something smash into my stomach,” Ryan told ESPN, sharing a description of the man who threw paint at her. According to her, the man, in a hoodie, threw the paint can at her, ran into his car, and sped away. Even though Ryan was uninjured because of the incident, she had to go back to her hotel room to change her clothes before arriving at the venue for her fight. The Englishwoman and her team believed that the attack was orchestrated by someone from Mayer’s camp after tensions had escalated between the camps after their press conference.
It’s worth noting that Ryan was working alongside Mayer’s former long-time coach, Kay Koroma, which added a layer of friction between them. Following the fight, Ryan admitted that the attack had impacted her performance. “It unsettled me at the start,” she said. “Walking to the venue, I was shook up. And then it threw me off a bit of my game plan because I just wanted to fight.”
The 31-year-old even managed to obtain CCTV footage of the attack and is working with local authorities to get to the bottom of the incident. But the question is, what does Mayer have to say about Ryan’s allegations?
Mikaela Mayer brands Ryan’s allegations ‘baseless’
Mikaela Mayer branded Sandy Ryan’s allegations against her as “baseless” following the paint incident before their fight. After Ryan’s allegations that Mayer was behind the incident, she added that there was a “disgusting and pathetic smear campaign” with defamatory leaflets and anonymous threatening messages, which was under NYPD investigation.
Mayer responded through her manager, George Ruiz, saying, “I’m compelled to respond to your latest round of baseless accusations. Let me be clear: no one associated with Team Mayer had anything to do with the paint assault on you or the leaflets and the alleged anonymous threatening messages.” He continued, “Mikaela and Team Mayer want the perpetrator(s) found, caught and punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Mayer herself added she was “just as surprised as everybody else” by the paint incident and welcomed the investigation.
Having said that, it appears Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan are going to fight not only for the WBO belt but also for pride. While Ryan looks to exact revenge for the paint incident, Mayer will look to punish Ryan for the allegations made against her. Do you think Mayer could have been behind the attack?
The post What Happened to Sandy Ryan Before First Mikaela Mayer Fight? Paint Attack Explained appeared first on EssentiallySports.