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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
English boxer Sandy Ryan accused Mikaela Mayer, her opponent in a title bout Friday night in New York, of orchestrating a pre-fight stunt in which Ryan was hit by a paint can as she left her hotel earlier in the evening.
Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) lost her WBO welterweight title to Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) by majority decision, with the judges scoring the bout 95-95, 97-93 and 96-94.
The leadup to the fight at Madison Square Garden was deeply personal for both, as Ryan had 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 a betrayal.
As Ryan left her hotel for the venue Friday, she was struck by an open paint can from an unidentified man. She said she felt something “smash” into her stomach, and then saw a man in a hoodie run to a car and drive away. Ryan was uninjured and continued on to the venue after changing clothes in her hotel room.
She and her team told ESPN they believed it was a member of Mayer’s camp, an accusation Mayer has denied.
“Mikaela Mayer is going to get it,” Ryan said before the fight. “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?”
Mayer, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, bounced back from a split decision loss to Natasha Jones in January. Ryan was looking for her second win this year.