‘No evidence leading back to me’ – Mayer on Ryan paint attack

In a rematch of Las Vegas on Saturday, WBO welterweight champion Mikaela Mayer takes on Briton Sandy Ryan.

American Mayer discusses the circumstances that led to Ryan’s victory in last September’s first fight in New York, which was hit by a can of red paint before the venue, in her BBC Sport column.

We were waiting for the team’s approval to let us go down the elevator because we were staying at the same hotel as Sandy Ryan, and I was in my room as we approached.

My nutritionist told me to wait because she hasn’t yet entered the car because Sandy was waiting for her car. We then sat by the elevator.

My nutritionist was like, “Oh my god, someone just threw paint on Sandy,” as she was cursing her phone. Although everyone was shocked, I didn’t realize that I had an ulterior motive.

I was in the car when I got to the arena, where a picture of Sandy, who had red paint on her, was posted online. I was observed by SPN, and it appears that I was the one to blame for the attack.

Everyone who knows me is aware that would be out of character for me because it is not my style. She should try to blame me, I thought. Throughout the entire week, she had other things going on, including me.

Sandy has already claimed that flyers targeted her in the city and hotel.

When there is no supporting evidence, you can’t just point the finger. The fight of my life was happening upstairs, I was waiting to go down.

I wasn’t upset about the incident because I wasn’t in fight mode and it didn’t happen to me.

I would have slapped paint on my fight shorts if someone had thrown it on me and carried on.

Her team were really helping her, and I was worried that she would leave.

I watched a video of her coach Kay Koroma yelling at her to leave the room, which I found to be extremely suspicious. That surprised me and made him strange.

I don’t believe her team made it a bigger deal than it had to be, but rather the paint, which was what really made her lose her game.

I sincerely hope that doesn’t occur before the fight begins, and I don’t want that to happen. After two years of tearing my butt out to get back in that position, I decided it could be called off, which I absolutely detested.

I found it surprising that the Top Rank team used “paint-gate” to promote the rematch, but this is entertainment.

I had no influence over it at all. My manager would have had my back if I had behaved in a similar way in an effort to maintain my professional standards.

I wasn’t aware of it until the poster appeared, and I inquired, “Does Sandy have red paint on them?”

This is undoubtedly one of the best rivalries in women’s boxing, and it’s important for them to have one of them.

I was only interested in seeing what my other options were if the rematch was not counted out. I jumped at the chance to do it again and make it even better once I saw the views and how much the fans wanted it, as well as the justifications.

I understand Sandy might have been upset, but I didn’t have to give her this rematch because I didn’t get my rematch with Alycia Baumgardner. I could have simply sat back and waited for the undisputed or faced someone else to join the ranks of Lauren Price.

However, that’s not who I am as a fighter.

Many of the fights I’ve participated in are competitive, and it’s hard to predict the winner.

Due to the coaching staff’s and paint-situation, my feud with Alycia will continue to be #1 for the rest of my life, but Sandy can come in second.

In a way where I’m supposed to be making up everything or being dramatic, Sandy and her team attempted to gaslight me.

They won’t say anything about it because you’re going to see coach Koroma, my coach for eight or nine years since the Olympics. They adhered to what they did, and that is what they should do.

At this point in my career, which is challenging, I had to go out and find a whole new team. Truth is on my side, too.