Mikaela Mayer dethroned Sandy Ryan of her WBO welterweight title via a majority decision in New York on Friday. In a fight week full of tension, there were bizarre scenes hours before the bout as Briton Ryan was hit with a can of red paint as she made her way to The Theater inside Madison Square Garden.

Sandy Ryan was reportedly hit by a can of red paint en route to Friday’s fight with Mikaela Mayer in what ESPN described as an "apparent coordinated attack."

British fighter Sandy Ryan claims she was ‘set up’ after being splattered with paint outside her hotel before losing her world title to rival Mikaela Mayer. The two welterweight fighters had been locked in a bitter feud before the fight, centring around Mayer’s former coach Kay Koroma who now works with Ryan.

Sandy Ryan says she "shouldn’t have fought" on Friday having lost to Mikaela Mayer hours after a paint attack in New York.

Before their title bout Friday night, English boxer Sandy Ryan accused Mikaela Mayer of orchestrating a stunt in which she was hit with an open paint can as she left her hotel earlier in the evening.