A cracking-looking 50/50 fight heads a bill at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York this Friday evening, as Sandy Ryan defends her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer.
Sky Sports televise Ryan vs Mayer in the UK, while ESPN+ have the USA rights, with Top Rank promoting.
Derby native Ryan (7-1-1, 3 KOs) was a top-class amateur, and turned over with three straight wins, but she was possibly pushed too fast, as she suffered defeat in her fourth contest, dropping a split decision to Erica Anabella Farias in March 2022.
Ryan would rebound well, taking a points win in an immediate rematch, and two fights later she became world champion, moving up from super lightweight to claim the vacant WBO strap at welterweight with a wide points win against Marie Pier Houle in Cardiff last April.
An attempt to unify in Orlando looked a successful one five months later, but the judges would deny Ryan the WBC and WBA straps, as Jessica McCaskill clung on to her belts in a disputed draw. The 31-year-old shrugged that disappointment off in some style though last time out, forcing former two-weight world champion to retire after four rounds of battle in Sheffield in March.
Ryan now faces another talented amateur, and former Olympian in Colorado-based Mayer (19-2, 5 KOs), another to start her career brightly then face setbacks. After winning the vacant WBO title at super featherweight in 2020, and then unifying, Mayer was then upset by Alycia Baumgardner in a split decision loss at the back end of 2022, and that prompted a move up the weights.
The American was last out in January up at welterweight, where she was unfortunate to be on the wrong end of a razor-thin split loss to IBF champion, Natasha Jonas.
Prediction: This is a close one to call, as both will have their moments in what could be a frantic contest. I lean towards the slightly fresher Ryan to retain by a tight decision win.
There are plenty of prospects on the undercard in the Big Apple.
Xander Sayas (19-0, 12 KOs) is coming off an eye-catching clear points win over Patrick Teixeira, and the super welterweight should remain unbeaten by outscoring Mexico’s Damian Sosa (25-2, 12 KOs) over ten rounds.
Featherweight prospect Bruce Carrington (12-0, 8 KOs) also sees action, and ‘Shu Shu’ can take a fourth straight early win, this time against Sulaiman Segawa (17-4-1, 6 KOs), who is fresh off a points win against Ruben Villa in his last outing. It’s scheduled for ten.
Also set for ten, at super lightweight, Elvis Rodriguez (16-1-1, 13 KOs) should get past the faded Kendo Castaneda (21-6, 9 KOs) inside schedule, while also at 140 pounds, Rohan Polanco (13-0, 8 KOs) should outpoint Marcelino Nicolas Lopez (37-4-1, 22 KOs).
THROUGH. THE. ROPES.
Elvis Rodriguez just KO’d his opponent … in R1 … with this jab 🤯#PedrazaLesPierre | LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/FixwzlntGL
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) July 3, 2020
Super welterweight hope Vito Mielnicki Jr (19-1, 12 KOs) should have too much for Khalil El Harraz (16-5-1, 2 KOs) over the distance.
In eight rounders, Delante Johnson (13-0, 6 KOs) takes a step up, and he can bank a points win in his super lightweight meeting with Yomar Alamo (22-2-1, 13 KOs), who has been in with the likes of Liam Paro and Richardson Hitchins in recent times. Bantamweight hope Floyd Diaz (12-0, 3 KOs) should also win on the cards against Mario Hernandez (12-4-1, 4 KOs).
