Ryan Vs. Mayer: Welterweight Showdown Set For September 27 In New York

WBO champion Sandy Ryan to defend title against former Super Featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer

Sandy Ryan and Mikaela Mayer will face off at Madison Square Garden Theater on September 27, 2024 /

By Mohamed Bahaa

Sandy Ryan is set to defend her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York on September 27.

Mayer, who is 34, is aiming for redemption after losing a split decision to Natasha Jonas for the IBF title in January. Previously a champion at super featherweight, she now seeks to secure a title in a second weight class. Interestingly, Mayer's former trainer, Kay Koroma, will be in Ryan's corner for this bout. Ryan, 30, hails from England and is making her second title defense, having previously drawn with Jessica McCaskill in September 2023.

The undercard features exciting matchups, including Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas against Mexico’s Damian Sosa and Brooklyn-born featherweight Bruce Carrington facing Uganda’s Sulaiman Segawa.

“After months of negotiations in every direction, I am thrilled that my team has pulled through for me and gotten me this fight,” Mayer stated. “As several dates fell through in the UK, the last thing I expected was for my manager to call with an offer that ticked every box. My team not only secured me another title fight against the opponent I asked for, but I’m coming back to the US with my Top Rank and ESPN family. I loved fighting in the UK over the past two years, but I have genuinely missed fighting in America. I’m ready to take Sandy Ryan’s WBO belt.”

Ryan expressed her enthusiasm about the upcoming fight: “I’m excited to be returning to America and particularly fighting at MSG. It’s the Mecca of boxing and a venue that every champion dreams of competing in. I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity, and I want to thank Matchroom and Top Rank for coming together to make the fight. It's the perfect moment in my career, and I'm looking forward to successfully defending my world title. I can promise that on a level playing field, nobody is taking this belt from me. Mayer has had an awful lot to say about me and this fight, and I'm sure she will continue to do so, but I'm an athlete and a professional. I will let my boxing do my talking, and I will shine in that ring on September 27. Bring it on.”

Bob Arum’s Top Rank is promoting the event, and Arum himself commented on the significance of the bout: “Mikaela Mayer always wants to fight the best, and Sandy Ryan is an elite welterweight. These are two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and the winner will stake her claim as the preeminent 147-pounder. Bruce Carrington and Xander Zayas are future superstars, and I look forward to seeing how they fare against the toughest opponents of their respective careers.”

The stage is set for an electrifying night of boxing at Madison Square Garden Theater as two of the sport’s top female fighters vie for supremacy in the welterweight division.