- Ryan said she had been hit in the stomach by a tin of paint ahead of the fight
- The British fighter had blamed rival Mikaela Mayer’s camp over the incident
- Mayer beat Ryan in the ring before denying her team had any involvement
Sandy Ryan accused Mikaela Mayer’s camp of a ‘hit and run’ after being struck by red paint ahead of her WBO welterweight world title loss to the American – a claim her rival dismissed as ‘completely false’.
Ryan had been bizarrely covered in red paint as she made her way to Madison Square Garden for the fight.
The British star, who had been hoping to defend her title for the third time, insisted ahead of the showdown that Mayer’s camp were behind the incident.
Ryan said she had been hit in the stomach by the tin of red paint, which she admitted had ‘unsettled’ her prior to 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 pre-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 victory over Ryan by a majority decision at Madison Square Garden
‘I was turning around to get into the car next to me and I something smashed me in my stomach, I looked down and it was a tin of paint.
‘Looked up and there was a guy with a hood running to a car, then they drove off.
‘It was a hit and run.
‘We’ve got pictures and videos. It is definitely a set up from her team, what else would it be? It has got to be, who else is going to hit and run me.’
The incident added to the bitter build-up to the fight, amid a feud over Mayer’s former coach Kay Koroma.
Ryan had begun working with Koroma after relocating to the same gym as Mayer, which led to the American splitting with the trainer.
Mayer would ultimately secure an impressive victory, winning by a majority decision over the defending world champion.
Two judges scored the fight in Mayer’s favour, with scorecards of 97-93 and 96-94. The third judge deemed the contest to be a draw, scoring the fight 95-95.
Ryan claimed the paint incident had unsettled her before losing her world title to Mayer
Mayer, right, denied the ‘completely false’ claims her camp had been involved in the incident
Mayer has targeted becoming the undisputed world champion in the welterweight division
Following the fight, Mayer denied the ‘completely false’ claims from Ryan that her camp had been behind the paint incident and labelled the attack on the Briton as ‘unacceptable.’
‘I was just as surprised as everyone else. I was still upstairs, waiting for the call that my car was there,’ Mayer told Sky Sports.
‘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.
‘Then I heard that 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 almost going to call it off and back out. That hits me hard. I’m so glad they didn’t. I’m really sorry that happened to her, especially being a guest in my country. It’s unacceptable.’
Mayer, who had moved up to the welterweight division, has now targeting becoming undisputed world champion following the win over Ryan.
Ryan will now have to bounce back from the second defeat of her professional career.
