Former WBO welterweight champion Sandy Ryan was supposedly attacked with a paint can while she was leaving her hotel before her fight against Mikaela Mayer on Friday night. Following the attack, the 31-year-old claimed her 34-year-old opponent was the perpetrator behind the entire thing.

Mikaela Mayer defeated Ryan via a majority decision after a ten-two-minute round battle at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York to snatch Ryan’s WBO welterweight title, which she acquired back in April 2023 by defeating Marie Pier Houle. The judges scored the bout 95-95, 97-93 and 96-94.

Following the fight, Mayer appeared in an interview with Sky Sports, where she stated that she was not involved with the attack in any form. “I was just as surprised as everyone else,” she said. “I heard that paint had been thrown on Sandy. I had no idea. I was shocked. I thought it was horrible. I would never go that far.”

Suggesting the fight meant way too much for her to jeopardize it through such an action, Mayer continued to deny her involvement in the incident. When asked by the reporter whether the attack may have affected her opponent and her performance, Mayer felt it should have motivated her. 

“After that happened, there was footage of her telling the cameras that she wants to kill me,” Mayer added. Despite Derbyshire native’s accusations, Mayer felt “it pumped her up,” as she was under the impression that Ryan would be “even more aggressive trying to take my head off because of it.” Nonetheless, Mikaela Mayer claimed regardless of what happened, the starting bell erases everything.

“I wish it didn’t happen to her… When that bell rings and it goes off, everything that happened… goes out the window and you’re zoned in and focused on the game plan… I hope it didn’t have too much of an effect on her,” Mayer concluded. While the new WBO welterweight champion hoped the incident didn’t affect her opponent, the reality was a bit different. 

Sandy Ryan claims the incident ‘threw me off’ before the Mikaela Mayer fight

After the attack, Ryan told a reporter from ESPN that she felt something “smash” into her stomach, followed by a man in a hoodie she saw run into a car and drive away. Fortunately, Ryan was not injured by the incident and continued to the venue after a quick change of clothes in her hotel room. 

The English fighter believed the man was someone from Mayer’s camp. She also said after the fight, “It unsettled me at the start. 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 former champion explained, blaming the incident for throwing her off her game, “You seen at the start of the fight, I was handling her quite well on the jab. I was boxing her and then I started to pick it up. But then, I was obviously pushing it too hard.” 

That being said, the attack on Sandy Ryan was a terrible act, which warrants further investigation. However, the statements from both parties have raised questions about a potential rematch because of the incident. Would you like to see them fight again?