- Ryan said she was hit in the stomach by a can of paint prior to the fight
- The British fighter had blamed rival Mikaela Mayer’s camp for the incident
- Mayer defeated Ryan in the ring before denying her team had any involvement
Sandy Ryan accused Mikaela Mayer’s camp of a ‘hit and run’ after she was hit by red paint ahead of her WBO welterweight world title win against the American – a claim her rival dismissed as ‘completely untrue’.
Ryan was bizarrely covered in red paint as she headed to Madison Square Garden for the fight.
The British star, who was hoping to defend her title for a third time, insisted ahead of the clash that Mayer’s camp was behind the incident.
Ryan said she was hit in the stomach by the can of red paint, which she admitted had “upset” her before the fight.
“I left my hotel room to meet my team downstairs. There were two cars there waiting for my team, I was ready to get in,” Ryan told ESPN ahead of the fight.
British star Sandy Ryan was covered in red paint ahead of her fight against Mikaela Mayer
Ryan accused her rival’s camp of being behind the incident ahead of the welterweight fight
Mayer ultimately earned a majority decision victory over Ryan at Madison Square Garden
“I turned to get into the car next to me and something hit me in the stomach. I looked down and it was a can of paint.
“I looked up and there was a man with a hood running towards a car, and then they drove away.
‘It was a bull’s eye.
‘We have photos and videos. It’s definitely a setup by her team, what else would it be? It has to be this way: who else is going to hit me and drive me away.’
The incident added to the bitter build-up to the fight, amid a feud over Mayer’s former coach Kay Koroma.
Ryan had started working with Koroma after moving to the same gym as Mayer, which led to the American splitting with the trainer.
Mayer would ultimately pull off an impressive win, defeating the defending world champion by majority decision.
Two judges scored the fight in favor of Mayer, with scorecards of 97-93 and 96-94. The third judge deemed the match a draw and scored the fight 95-95.
Matchroom Boxing shared images of the paint can on social media after the incident
Ryan claimed that the paint incident upset her before she lost her world title to Mayer
Mayer denied “completely false” claims that her camp was involved in the incident
Mayer has set himself the goal of becoming the undisputed world champion in the welterweight division
After the fight, Mayer denied Ryan’s ‘completely false’ claims that her camp was behind the paint incident and branded the attack on the Briton as ‘unacceptable’.
‘I was as surprised as anyone. “I was still upstairs waiting for the call that my car was there,” Mayer said Air sports.
“I heard paint was thrown on Sandy. I had no idea. I was shocked. I hated it. I would never go that far.
‘Then I heard she thought it had something to do with me and my team, which is disappointing. Obviously Sandy is my rival and my opponent, but I would never go that far.
“I heard after the fight that they were close to calling it off and retreating. That hits me hard. I’m so glad they didn’t. I’m really sorry that happened to her, especially since I’m a guest in my country. It’s unacceptable.’
Mayer, who had moved up to the welterweight division, now wants to become undisputed world champion after beating Ryan.
Ryan will now have to recover from the second defeat of her professional career.