BERNSTEIN ON BOXING This Is The Way By Al Bernstein
demeanor and even suggested she’s happy to come back to America for the rematch despite the incident and losing a close decision. There are differences to point out between these two women. The 34-year-old Mayer, adept and comfortable with being a public figure in every way, is three years older than Ryan, the more reserved, less-loquacious Brit. And Mikaela has more pro experience with a 20-2 record to Sandy’s 7-2-1 mark. They have, however, traveled a somewhat similar boxing highway. Both had lengthy and successful amateur careers that had them starting somewhat late as pros at age 27. Both have been in close fights that did not go their way. Mayer suffered two heart-wrenching losses, one to Alycia Baumgardner, and the other to Ryan’s countrywoman, the ageless Natasha Jonas. The Jonas loss was especially tough, because the vast majority of fans and pundits (including me) thought Mayer won that decision. Ryan lost the close one to Mayer and was robbed of a win by way of a spurious draw vs. Jessica McCaskill, denying her two additional titles and a Ring championship. She also lost a split decision to former longtime lightweight and junior welterweight titleholder Erica Farias in an upset but avenged that defeat. Farias also lost a decision to Mayer around the same time. Another similarity between the two is that both were able to get title matches immediately following title losses. Mayer’s next fight after the loss to Jonas was her chance at Ryan’s title, and here we have Ryan getting the immediate rematch with Mayer. I mentioned this kind of thing as a strength of women’s boxing, and it is that. But fair reporting dictates that I point out the fact that women’s boxing still has work to do in creating better depth of good fighters in each division. So, the good name fighters have an easier time getting “next” without falling far back in line. In men’s boxing, there is more depth in
most divisions, and that works against this happening as much. There is no question, however, that the number of highly talented women in each division, especially the lighter weight classes, has vastly improved in the last several years, and this process continues at a fairly rapid pace. So, what of this appealing rematch in the ring on March 29? It is a perfect style matchup. Neither woman was down or hurt in their first match, but both appeared to be buzzed a couple of times by big shots, and there were plenty landed. Ryan needs a quicker start in the rematch. She surrendered some early rounds – or more aptly put, Mayer took them. In a 10-round fight with only 20 minutes of actual boxing, that can cost you the fight. Ryan’s mission is to cut off the ring and create good angles for her counterpunching. Mayer, who used lateral movement to good effect, combined clever boxing with moments when she stood her ground and landed quick combinations. She would like to repeat that in this match. There is no question Ryan was doing better in the second half of the fight than she did in the first part. Can she sustain that momentum in “Round 11”? We are talking about nuanced changes in strategy and technique, but overall it would be shocking if this match was not extremely similar to the first fight – and that is precisely why it merits a column from me in Ring Magazine. There is no reason to think we won’t see another fight of the year candidate. While the drama surrounding the first event has fueled much of the interest in this rematch, at the end of the day it is more noteworthy on its own merit. It is one of two women’s welterweight title matches in March. On March 7, Jonas is defending her two crowns against the undefeated Ring/WBA champ Lauren Price, the pride of Wales. It would be on-brand for women’s boxing if the winners of these two fights would meet this year to create an undisputed champ, and that has already been discussed
publicly by the four participants. In 2024, there were seven title unification matches in women’s boxing and two more with all four titles and Ring championships on the line for undisputed status. And more importantly, almost all of the title defenses were between two of the best fighters in their respective divisions. As the first quarter of the year comes to an end with what most everyone expects to be an exciting battle between Mayer and Ryan, the rest of the year in women’s boxing should start to come into focus. A Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano trilogy match is expected to happen, and anyone who saw the first two believes the third will be another thrilling chapter in their storied rivalry. Claressa Shields is likely to lure either Savannah Marshall or Franchon Crews-Dezurn to her new, higher weight class for rematches. Shields and Crews-Dezurn had an exciting battle in their pro debuts, and the Shields-Marshall 2022 battle was one of best of the year, male or female. Newer champions seeking to be established stars, like Gabriela Fundora, Caroline Dubois, Skye Nicolson, Ellie Scotney and Yamileth Mercado, will be scheduling title defenses, and veteran champs such as Alycia Baumgardner, Terri Harper and Dina Thorslund will look for big fights to burnish their reputations. Chantelle Cameron, the only one with an official win over Taylor, is seeking a chance at another world title. Even to invested boxing fans, some of these names may not be familiar, and that is the challenge women’s boxing continues to face – more exposure for its talented fighters. But even on the male side of things, that problem exists. While all that sorts itself out, women’s boxing can rest assured that in the welterweight division, March promises more excitement with its top four fighters facing each other and an undisputed champion within sight. But then again, in women’s boxing, as the Mandalorian would say, “This is the way.”
The first Ryan vs. Mayer fight was an all-out war in New York.
Or maybe you are a fan that doesn’t care about that stuff but just loves a great fight? Well, when Ryan decided to still go through with the fight after that traumatic incident, she combined with Mayer to produce one of the very best fights of 2024. It was 10 rounds of back-and-forth action, Mayer controlling parts of the fight with combination punching, movement and good countering, while Ryan found her rhythm in the middle rounds and then landed big left hooks and rights as she marched ahead. It was a scintillating and close fight that ended in a reasonable majority decision verdict for Mayer, marred only by Waleska Roldan’s absurd 97-93 scorecard. There is no universe in which Ryan won only three of the 10 rounds. It was a fight that cried out for a rematch because of the closeness and excellence of the fight and the events leading up to it. This being women’s boxing, of course we get a return bout. The tension between these two boxers and their camps is still thick going into the rematch. Mayer is anxious to put to bed the idea that she won because Ryan was distracted by the horrid event on fight day, and Ryan badly wants to win her title back. Mayer, with experience as a media person herself, is more adept at framing things about Ryan – even to Ryan’s face. The Californian has tried to get in Ryan’s head in joint interviews. She says that Ryan’s team failed her in how they reacted to the fight-day incident and has suggested to Ryan that they will do so again this time. Great Britain’s Ryan, for her part, has tried to present a calm
M ost everything about women’s boxing is terrific. The best in the sport fight each other regularly, no one gets kicked to the curb for losing a fight, and action-packed 10-round title fights with razor-thin margins of victory are the norm, not the exception. If there was ever a poster child for all that, it is the March 29 rematch between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan. This fight is the sequel to a WBO welterweight title bout that literally had something for any boxing fan,
no matter what their taste. Are you someone who likes turmoil, conflict and hostility in the build-up to a fight? Well, ahead of their September 27 battle last year, Mayer accused Ryan of stealing her longtime trainer, Kay Koroma, to train her for the fight. Pre- fight appearances featuring both camps were volatile, to say the least, and as Ryan was leaving the hotel to go the arena on fight night, some cowardly jerk drove by and threw red paint on her as she stepped out the front door. This put the fight in jeopardy and fueled more rancor between the two camps. Enough turmoil for you?
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