English boxer Sandy Ryan has accused Mikaela Mayer, who she is scheduled to fight later Friday in New York, of orchestrating a stunt in which she was hit with a paint can as she left her hotel this evening.
Ryan (7-1-1, 3 KOs) looks to defend her WBO welterweight title against Mayer (19-2, 5 KOs) at Madison Square Garden. The leadup to the fight has been deeply personal for both, as Ryan has been working with Mayer’s former longtime coach Kay Koroma. Mayer parted ways with Koroma when he decided to work with Ryan, a move she saw as betrayal.
As Ryan left her hotel for the venue on Friday, she was struck with an open paint can by an unidentified man. She said she felt something “smash” into her stomach, and then saw a man in a hoodie run into a car and drive away. Ryan was uninjured in the incident and made her way to the venue, after changing clothes in her hotel room.
She and her team told ESPN they believe it was a member of Mayer’s camp, an accusation Mayer has denied.
“Mikaela Mayer is going to get it,” Ryan said. “It was definitely a setup from her team. What else would it be? It’s got to be. I’m from the U.K. Who knew what time I was coming out of my hotel to go to the venue?”
Ryan is looking for her second win this year. Mayer, of Colorado Springs, is looking to bounce back from a split decision loss to Natasha Jones in January.
