Sandy Ryan Looking to Settle Her Grudge with Mayer By Stoppage
On September 27, Sandy Ryan (7-1, 3 KOs) defends the WBO women’s welterweight for the third time against former unified junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer (19-2, 5 KOs) Set to fight at the Madison Square Garden Theatre in New York City on ESPN, Ryan’s agenda is two-fold. She wants to defend her title and do so by stoppage. It’s something that Ryan can accomplish.
READY TO MAKE HER EAT HER WORDS
This matchup is not just business but deeply personal. Mayer accused her former assistant trainer, Kay Karoma, of dishonesty after he decided to become Ryan’s lead trainer. Mayer has promised revenge and has said she plans to put a hurting on the WBO champion.
All of this has gotten under Ryan’s skin. During an interview with Top Rank Promotions, the 147-pound champion said she wasn’t thinking about Mayer, but now that‘s changed.
“It’s obviously professional with me, but it’s a bit personal now because she’s made it that way. The talk that she’s done, and for that, I’m going to shut her up. I’m going to beat her up on September 27, that’s for sure.”
Mayer feels she’s now fighting at her most comfortable and optimal weight at welterweight. Pundits regard her as one of the better women’s boxers over the last five years. However, Mayer is in for arguably the toughest test of her career in Ryan.
Ryan is a skilled fighter. But her calling card is her physical strength and tenacity. The reigning WBO champion is very physical and a vicious body puncher. Mayer is the taller fighter. Her best chance at victory is to box. However, her footwork is not the quickest in the world, and Ryan is terrific at cutting off the ring and employs a sound defense when on the attack.
It’s hard to envision Mayer having the strength and power to earn the respect of the champion. Ryan is the bigger puncher and appears to have a clear advantage, should they end up in close quarters. As a result, one could envision her chopping Mayer down and winning by stoppage. Stopping someone with the visibility of Mayer would be the highlight of Ryan’s career to date.
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