MIKAELA MAYER successfully defended her WBO welterweight title with a commanding unanimous decision victory over Sandy Ryan last night at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The rematch, six months after their controversial first encounter in New York, saw Mayer leave no doubt about her superiority.
In September, Mayer claimed a majority decision, but the night was overshadowed by an unsolved incident hours earlier. Ryan, the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, had a can of red paint thrown over her as she left her hotel.
This time, there were no unsavoury distractions—just two fighters determined to outclass each other. Mayer seized control from the opening bell, surging forward with intent and aggression that Ryan struggled to counter.
Their first bout had been a toe-to-toe thriller, but Ryan switched tactics here, aiming to make Mayer miss and catch her with counters. The strategy backfired, and later, when Ryan abandoned it to trade blows, it was too little, too late.
The champion dominated the first round, landing crisp right hands in a two-minute session that forced Ryan onto the back foot. Ryan’s jab found its rhythm in the second round, briefly giving her a foothold. But Mayer responded in the third with an eye-catching right hand over the top, then unleashed a flurry in the final seconds to emphatically claim the round.
Ryan focused on quality over quantity, but Mayer had both in abundance. The champion pressed relentlessly, exploiting every opening to assert her dominance, leaving Ryan chasing the fight. By the sixth, Ryan showcased her defensive skills, slipping shots with flair, but Mayer reset and hammered home thudding hooks. “Work, Sandy, come on,” her corner yelled as she was drawn into a brief firefight. At the bell, her team urged her to “wake up.”
From the seventh, Ryan shifted gears, fighting with heart rather than strategy—a tactic that had worked in their first clash. She needed a spark; the fight was slipping away. The eighth offered hope when an accidental clash of heads opened a nasty cut above Mayer’s left eye, blood streaming down her face.
Mayer briefly showed signs of fatigue, her punches losing some snap, but she dug deep to match Ryan’s late surge. In the ninth, referee Allen Huggins warned Mayer for holding but overlooked a blatant shoulder strike.
The final round was vintage Mayer. She started the 19th minute as she had the first, unleashing head-shaking hooks. Ryan answered with fire of her own, and the two traded blows in a thrilling exchange. As the bell sounded, Ryan raised her hand—more in hope than conviction. The judges agreed: Benoit Roussel and Steve Weisfeld scored it 97-93 for Mayer, while Max De Luca saw it wider at 98-92.
With the rivalry settled, Mayer now has her sights on undisputed glory against unified WBC, WBA, and IBF champion Lauren Price. “I wanted to give Sandy the rematch because it was a great fight,” Mayer said. “We did that, but I beat Sandy twice. Now, it’s time to move on and go for undisputed against Lauren Price.”
Mayer improves her record to 21-2, (5 KOs), but another loss for Ryan moves her to 7-3-1, (3 KOs).
