Sandy Ryan addresses getting paint flung at her just before Mikaela Mayer fight, accuses opponent's team of involvement: "Who else could it be?"
Sandy Ryan recently opened up about the incident in which paint was thrown at her just ahead of her fight with Mikaela Mayer. At the time of writing, the 31-year-old English champion is defending her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The buildup to the fight has been heated for both fighters. Tensions escalated when Ryan began training under Kay Koroma, Mayer’s former longtime coach. The 34-year-old Californian viewed Koroma’s decision to coach her opponent as a sense of disloyalty.
On Friday night, as Ryan was leaving her hotel en route to the fight venue, she was struck by an open can of red paint thrown by an unknown assailant who quickly sped away in a car. Despite the incident, the defending champion remained unscathed and continued to the arena after returning to her room to change clothes.
During a recent interview with ESPN, Ryan recounted the entire incident, explaining that she had been waiting for her teammates outside the hotel when she noticed two cars parked nearby. Moments later, she was unexpectedly struck in the stomach by a can of paint:
"I left my hotel room to meet my team downstair… The next thing was someone smashed me in my stomach. I looked down, and it was a tin of paint. I looked up; a guy with a hood on running to a car, and then they drove off."
The Derby native further accused Mayer and her team of being the orchestrators behind the attack:
"Mikaela Mayer is getting it. This is definitely someone from her team. Who else could it be? I am from the U.K. Who is gonna hit and run me? Who knew what time I was coming out of my hotel to come to the venue? Who knew someone was in the hotel saying 'she is coming now' and knew what time I was coming out to the venue with my team?"
Check out Sandy Ryan's comments below:
Fan reactions pour in after Sandy Ryan is struck with paint can before title fight with Mikaela Mayer
The combat sports community erupted after Sandy Ryan was hit with a paint can just before her title showdown with Mikaela Mayer, with many blaming Mayer's team for the shocking attack.
One fan wrote:
"What in the hell.... what's that all about? Come on, Sandy, don't let a bit of Dulux paint phase you.... let's get it !!"
Another wrote:
"Madness, Mayer done, for that's what I know."
Check out some more reactions below:
