NEW YORK CITY (Aug. 5, 2024) — If a trainer is like family, Sandy Ryan and Mikaela Mayer will soon play boxing’s version of “Family Feud.”
Ryan will defend her WBO welterweight world title against Mayer on Friday, Sept. 27, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. And she will do so with a former Mayer confidant in her corner. Kay Koroma, who helped train Mayer from Olympic standout to professional world champion, will help train Ryan for this career-defining main event.
Two of boxing’s emerging uber-talents, Puerto Rican junior middleweight Xander Zayas and Brooklyn-born featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington, will see action in separate 10-round televised features. Zayas will face Mexican contender Damian Sosa, while Carrington looks to turn away the upset-minded Sulaiman Segawa.
Ryan-Mayer, Zayas-Sosa, and Carrington-Segawa will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing, ticket information will be released shortly.
“Mikaela Mayer always wants to fight the best, and Sandy Ryan is an elite welterweight. These are the two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and the winner will stake her claim as the preeminent 147-pounder,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “Bruce Carrington and Xander Zayas are future superstars, and I look forward to seeing how they fare against the toughest opponents of their respective careers.”
Mayer (19-2, 5 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympian, jumped out to a 17-0 record to begin her pro career while winning a pair of junior lightweight world titles and becoming a pound-for-pound mainstay. The Los Angeles native returns to America after a four-fight run in England that included a debated 2022 split decision loss to Alycia Baumgardner in a bid for the undisputed junior lightweight title. Mayer won a pair of decisions in 2023 as she moved up in weight to prepare for a welterweight world title opportunity. In January, she lost a highly disputed split decision to IBF champion Natasha Jonas. While a Jonas rematch did not materialize, Mayer has another chance to become a two-weight world champion.
“After months of negotiations in every direction, I am thrilled that my team has pulled through for me and gotten me this fight. As several dates fell through in the UK, the last thing I expected was for my manager to call with an offer that ticked every box,” Mayer said. “My team not only secured me another title fight against the opponent I asked for, but I’m coming back to the U.S. with my Top Rank and ESPN family. I loved fighting in the UK over the past two years, but I have genuinely missed fighting in America. I’m ready to take Sandy Ryan’s WBO belt. AND NEW!”
Ryan (7-1-1, 3 KOs), from Derby, England, turned pro in 2021 after an accomplished amateur career that included a 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal and a 2014 World Championships silver medal. Her lone defeat — a March 2022 split decision to Erica Farias — was avenged less than five months later with a unanimous decision triumph. Ryan picked up the vacant WBO title in April 2023 with a unanimous decision over Marie-Pier Houle. Following a highly controversial draw against Jessica McCaskill in a title unification tilt, Ryan notched her signature victory in March with a devastating fourth-round knockout over former two-division world champion Terri Harper.
Ryan said, “I’m excited to be returning to America and particularly fighting at MSG. It's the Mecca of Boxing and a venue that every champion dreams of competing in. I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity, and I want to thank Matchroom and Top Rank for coming together to make the fight. It's the perfect moment in my career, and I'm looking forward to successfully defending my world title. I can promise that on a level playing field, nobody is taking this belt from me.
“Mayer has had an awful lot to say about me and this fight, and I'm sure she will continue to do so, but I'm an athlete and a professional. I will let my boxing do my talking, and I will shine in that ring on September 27. Bring it on!”
Zayas (19-0, 12 KOs) has been ticketed for stardom since signing with Top Rank as a 16-year-old prodigy in 2019. The five-year pro has lived up to the billing thus far, as he’s captured a pair of regional titles while becoming a major New York City attraction. Zayas is 5-0 at Madison Square Garden, including his main event debut in June, which saw him beat former world champion Patrick Teixeira over 10 one-sided rounds. Sosa (25-2, 12 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico, has won three in a row and is 3-0 when fighting on American soil. He won a clear points verdict over Clay Collard in 2021, prevailed via a 10-round decision over former Zayas foe Ronald Cruz the following year, and most recently shocked undefeated prospect Marques Valle by a split decision in April.
Zayas said, “In my last fight, I dominated a former world champion from start to finish, and now I'm ready to put on an even better performance for my people in New York on September 27. I'm motivated by the challenge of facing a Mexican warrior and excited to return to Madison Square Garden after all the love and great energy I received during Puerto Rican Day Parade Weekend."
Carrington (12-0, 8 KOs) is 5-0 with five knockouts at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. He saved some of his most highlight-worthy KOs for the hometown fans, including February’s fourth-round demolition of Bernard Torres. He made it five for five at The Theater in June with an eighth-round TKO over Brayan De Gracia. Segawa (17-4-1, 6 KOs), a native of Uganda who resides in Maryland, is an 11-year pro. His defeats have all come against then-unbeaten opposition, including a competitive 2018 decision to Abraham Nova. Segawa authored a career-defining victory in July, stunning WBC. No. 1 featherweight contender and former world title challenger Ruben Villa by unanimous decision over 10 rounds.
Carrington said, “I’m ready for all the champions in my division. Segawa is a speed bump, and he’s about to get run over in my hometown. The Shu Shu Era is just getting started.”
