Xander Zayas faces Damian Sosa and Bruce Carrington meets Sulaiman Segawa
Four days after news first broke, Top Rank and Matchroom have officially announced that Sandy Ryan will defend her WBO welterweight title against Mikaela Mayer on September 27th at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.
“After months of negotiations in every direction, I am thrilled that my team has pulled through for me and gotten me this fight,” Mayer said. “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.
“My team not only secured me another title fight against the opponent I asked for, but I’m coming back to the US 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.”
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.”
Super welterweight prospect Xander Zayas (19-0, 12 KO), fresh off a main event victory over Patrick Teixeira in June, returns to action against Mexico’s Damian Sosa (25-2, 16 KO) on the undercard. “Samurai” enjoyed a fairly nondescript career in his native Mexico before upsetting undefeated Marques Valle this past April on ProBox TV, and as I’ve said before, I’m always happy to see script-flippers get the opportunities they earned.
It’s a similar story for the other revealed bout, which pits top featherweight prospect Bruce Carrington (12-0, 8 KO) against Sulaiman Segawa (17-4-1, 6 KO). Carrington has shown his bona fides with two straight brutal finishes this year, but Segawa has the biggest win between them after hustling his way past Ruben Villa last month.
No complaints here; it’s a solid tripleheader with two proven action fighters in the main events and two prospects in reasonably tough matchups. Not bad for a Friday night.
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