LAS VEGAS – Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan went nose to nose for an extended period of time on stage Friday afternoon.
Their faces were as close as their first fight, an enthralling 10-rounder Mayer won by majority decision September 27 in The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Moments earlier, Mayer and Ryan made weight for their 10-round, 147-pound championship rematch Saturday night at Fontainbleau’s BleuLive Theater.
Las Vegas’ Mayer (20-2, 15 KOs) stepped on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s scale at 146 pounds. England’s Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) officially came in at 145.5 pounds.
Their second fight is a main event ESPN will air as part of a doubleheader.
Mayer, a 2016 U.S. Olympian, will make her first defense of the WBO welterweight title she won from Ryan six months ago.
Judges Waleska Roldan (97-93) and Benoit Roussel (96-94) scored their highly competitive, entertaining fight for Mayer. Judge Bob Williams scored Mayer-Ryan a draw, 95-95.
Mayer, 34, explored some options, but ultimately granted Ryan, 31, an immediate rematch. The odds on their second bout are even, -110/-110, according to DraftKings.
Their fantastic fight was somewhat overshadowed by an incident outside of Ryan’s hotel in Manhattan. An unknown male, who was wearing a mask, threw a bucket of red paint on her right pant leg and exposed torso before he jumped.
Ryan and her team blamed Mayer for trying to throw her off her game a couple hours before their fight. Mayer adamantly denied any involvement.
The official weights for the six Mayer-Ryan undercard fights are listed below.
ESPN
10 p.m. ET; 7 p.m. PT
Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC), Conyers, Georgia, 146.7 pounds vs. Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs), Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico, 146.3 pounds, 12 rounds for Norman’s WBO welterweight title.
ESPN+
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (14-0, 8 KOs), Brooklyn, 125.3 pounds vs. Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs), Montebello, California, 125.8 pounds, 10 rounds, WBC featherweight elimination match.
Emiliano Vargas (12-0, 10 KOs), Las Vegas, 138.6 pounds vs. Giovannie Gonzalez (20-7-2, 15 KOs), Stockton, California, 138.3 pounds, 8 rounds, junior welterweights.
Delante “Tiger” Johnson (14-0, 6 KOs), Cleveland, 146 pounds vs. Kendo Castaneda (21-8, 9 KOs), San Antonio, 146.8 pounds, 8 rounds, welterweights.
Dedrick Crocklem (1-0, 1 KO), Tacoma, Washington, 128.6 pounds vs. Dionne Ruvalcaba (2-1, 1 KO), Brownsville, Texas, 128.8 pounds, 4 rounds, junior lightweights.
Emmanuel Chance (pro debut), East Orange, New Jersey, 119.4 pounds vs. Miguel Guzman (1-0, 1 KO), San Bernardino, California, 118.7 pounds, 4 rounds, junior featherweights.
Keith Idec is a senior writer and columnist for The Ring. He can be reached on X @idecboxing.