Live From Ringside: Mikaela Mayer Challenges Sandy Ryan In The Garden For Welterweight Supremacy

Mikaela Mayer, Sandy Ryan
On Wednesday, September 25, Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan face off before their welterweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden on Friday, September 27 on ESPN and ESPN+. (Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Madison Square Garden has been the main stage for many boxing’s greatest sagas. The roar of the crowd on the night Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier clashed for the first time still echoes throughout Manhattan. Fans are still buzzing about Katie Taylor’s epic win against Amanda Serrano in one of the most highly-anticipated women’s boxing events in history. The house that Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Walt Frazier, and Willis Reed built is incapable of producing dramas that don’t leave fans begging for a sequel. Tonight, the legacy continues.

To say Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan don’t like each other wouldn’t be a lie, but it would be a half truth. They hate each other. Fortunately, they’ll have the opportunity to settle their differences in the ring as they both vie for the WBO Welterweight Championship at Madison Square Garden in New York on Friday, September 27.

Mayer, a former unified super featherweight champion, is still filled with resent for Ryan after the WBO Welterweight Champion moved to the U.S. and sought the expertise of Mayer’s coach, Kay Karoma. A year later, Ryan is reportedly working with Karom while Mayer and Karoma have gone their separate ways. However, the build up to this fight doesn’t entirely revolve around Karoma and his coaching preferences. In fact, it’s much bigger than one man. It’s about two women looking to gain control of their careers as they move further away from their 20s.

Mayer, a 34-year-old former Olympian from California, is considered one of the most dynamic fighters in women’s boxing, but her skill hasn’t been enough to earn victories against unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner or IBF Welterweight Champion Natasha Jonas. While a loss wouldn’t end Mayer’s chance at another title fight, it would definitely derail it.

On the opposite side of the ring, Mayer’s opponent, Sandy Ryan, enters the ring with an opportunity to position herself for a major fight in the near future. Beating Mayer would put the WBO Welterweight Champion in position for showdowns with Natasha Jonas, Lauren Price or even Chantelle Cameron. Not to mention, winning in convincing fashion on ESPN would boost her presence in the U.S., a nation she’s only had the chance to fight in once before.

Mayer. Ryan. Friday. The Garden. Who will come out on top? Follow our live blog for updates, reactions and more.

Rohan Polanco vs. Marcelino Nicolas Lopez

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Super Lightweight

Record(s): Rohan Polanco — 13-0 | Marcelino Nicolas Lopez — 37-4-1

Betting Odds: N/A

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

Def Pen Debrief

As a rising prospect with an unblemished record, you may hope to fight on the televised portion of a card at Madison Square Garden. Still, Rohan Polanco made the most of it. The promising former Olympian from the Dominican Republican had a cohort of fans from New York City on their feet for the majority of the scheduled 10-round bout. After a somewhat uneventful first round, the now 14-fight veteran began to let his hands go and he landed at will. While one could say that too many of his landed power shots were at or below the belt line, his speed, power and precision were on full display as he sent his opponent, Marcelino Lopez, to the canvas for the first four times in his 18-year career. Moving forward, Polanco will need to decide whether or not he wants to stay at super lightweight or move up to welterweight. Either way, he appears to be turning into a future problem for contenders in either division.

Result: Polanco def. Lopez (TKO, 6)

Delante “Tiger” Johnson vs. Yomar Alamo

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Super Lightweight

Record(s): Delante Johnson — 13-0 | Yomar Alamo — 22-2-1

Betting Odds: N/A

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

Def Pen Debrief

Delante “Tiger” Johnson made his way to New York for arguably the toughest test of his career and he nearly failed it. At several points of the fight, the battle tested Yomar Alamo hurt the former Olympian and brought the Puerto Rican fans to their feet. Johnson was able to put up enough resistance to make it through the eight rounds and earn the decision on every judge’s scorecard, but the holes in his game that Alamo put a magnifying glass to tonight may come back and cause his downfall down the line.

Result: Johnson def. Alamo (UD, 8)

Elvis Rodriguez vs. Kendo Castaneda

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Super Lightweight

Record(s): Elvis Rodriguez — 16-1-1 |Kendo Castaneda — 21-6-0

Betting Odds: N/A

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

 

Def Pen Debrief

Heading into tonight’s bout, not many questioned if Elvis Rodriguez would beat Kendo Castaneda. Rather, many wondered if he would win in memorable fashion. Through 10 rounds, Elvis Rodriguez was too strong, too quick and too versatile for Castaneda. However, he wasn’t able to get Castaneda out of the fight. Every shot that Rodriguez threw was filled to the brim with power, but that may have been to his detriment. At a certain point, it felt as is Castaneda knew what to expect and could brace for impact, allowing him to make it through the fight. Moving forward, Rodriguez will need to show a few more wrinkles to his game to compete with the top fighters in the super lightweight division.

Result: Rodriguez def. Castaneda (UD, 10)

Floyd Diaz vs. Mario Hernandez

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Bantamweight

Record(s): Floyd Diaz — 12-0 | Mario Hernandez — 12-4-1

Betting Odds: N/A

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

N/A

Def Pen Debrief

Floyd Diaz delivered a solid performance against the rugged, tough Mario Hernandez. At times, Hernandez was able to push Diaz back, but the undefeated 118-pounder was able to move, work the body and let his hands go when needed. Diaz is by no means a power puncher, but he’s certainly capable of delivering fun, competitive fights in the future. With that said, he did look a bit sharper and more versatile under coach Brian “BoMac” McIntyre. However, that could all just be the result of the resistance his opponent, Hernandez, was able to muster up through eight rounds.

Result: Diaz def. Hernandez (UD, 8)

Vito Mielnicki Jr. vs. Khalil El Harraz

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Super Welterweight

Record(s): Vito Mielnicki Jr. — 19-1-0 | Khalil El Harraz — 16-5-1

Betting Odds: N/A

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

Def Pen Debrief

Despite the scorecard of one judge, Vito Mielnicki Jr. cruised to a decision victory against a game Khalil El Harraz. With that said, his inability to truly push the Italian middleweight to the limit, knock him down or stop is somewhat of a let down. At 22 years old, Mielnicki Jr. doesn’t need to rush, but given that he kickstarted his pro career at 17 years old, he may be moved a bit quicker than others his age. If that’s the case, he’ll need to show more in 2025 if he hopes to move up and challenge the ranks of Vergil Ortiz, Erickson Lubin, Tim Tszyu, Sebastian Fundora and Jesus Ramos.

Results: Mielnicki Jr. def. Alamo (MD, 10)

Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington vs. Sulaiman Segawa

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Featherweight

Record(s): Bruce Carrington — 12-0 | Sulaiman Segawa — 17-4-1

Betting Odds: Bruce Carrington (-1400) | Sulaiman Segawa (+700)

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

 

Def Pen Debrief

Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington performed like many of his Top Rank counterparts. He did enough to win, but not enough to impress fans watching around the country. At times, it looks as if he was searching for a one-punch knockout that would appear on SportsCenter. Instead, he was met with the above average boxing ability and awkwardness of Uganda’s Sulaiman Segawa. Carrington did not disappoint, but if he wants to attract the likes of Naoya Inoua to the U.S. for a big fight, he’s going to have to do more. Still, the future is bright for the Brownsville boxer.

Result: Carrington def. Segawa (MD, 10)

Xander Zayas vs. Damian Sosa

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Super Welterweight

Record(s): Xander Zayas — 19-0 | Damian Sosa — 25-2-0

Betting Odds: Xander Zayas (-2000) | Damian Sosa (+900)

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

Def Pen Debrief

Damian Sosa was expected to push Xander Zayas in ways that he hadn’t been tested previously, but nothing of the sort happened. Zayas boxed beautifully, working Sosa to the body and controlling the pace of the fight. He was even smiling and dancing around in the corner between rounds. While Zayas was unable to get the knockout, he definitely proved that he’s ready for the next step. The scariest part of the night is being reminded that he’s only 22 years old and still has room to grow.

Result: Zayas def. Sosa (UD, 10)

Mikaela Mayer vs. Sandy Ryan

(Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

Division: Welterweight

Record(s): Mikaela Mayer — 7-1-1 | Sandy Ryan — 19-20

Betting Odds: Sandy Ryan (-125) | Mikaela Mayer (+100)

Timeline Talk

Critics’ Chatter

Def Pen Debrief

From paint attacks to verbal sparring, the build up to tonight’s welterweight title fight was nothing short of dramatic. However, none of what happened before Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan would dictate the result of the fight. Over ten, two-minute rounds, Ryan and Mayer went to war with the challenger leading the way through portions of the first five rounds and the champion making up ground in the second half of the fight.

Def Pen Scorecard: Ryan def. Mayer (96-94)

Result: Mayer def. Ryan (MD, 10)

Note: Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook at 5:30 p.m. EST on Friday, September 27. Odds are subject to change. If you or a loved one is battling a gambling addiction, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

 

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