Ryan Considered Retirement After Losses To Mayer

Derby's Sandy Ryan says she considered retiring from boxing aft successive defeats by Mikaela Mayer.

Ryan, 31, mislaid her WBO welterweight world title to Mayer successful controversial circumstances past September earlier being beaten successful nan rematch successful March.

After 2 emotionally and physically draining encounters successful nan US, Ryan admitted she was devastated pinch her performance.

"Mid-fight I fell dormant arsenic successful stopped reacting, stopped doing what I usually do," Ryan told BBC Radio Derby.

"I retrieve being successful nan area and my relative and [coach] Kay were for illustration 'what's wrong?' I was successful my ain world. I conscionable can't explicate it.

"It's not nan champion spot to beryllium successful 1 of nan biggest conflict of your career."

"After nan fight, I thought I was done," she added.

"I was vanished boxing. And past a fewer weeks after, I had been backmost location for a while and aft a fewer weeks nan conflict was still successful me. I still person truthful overmuch to give."

Ryan's first brushwood pinch Mayer was marred by an chartless personification throwing paint complete nan Englishwoman arsenic she was leaving her edifice connected conflict night.

Ryan described nan scorecards successful nan first conflict arsenic "questionable" but had nary complaints astir nan rematch, which was a unanimous points triumph for nan American.

She said campy was "mentally" reliable and she suspects she carried a batch of nan effects of their first melodramatic conflict into nan rematch.

"I tried to not bring it pinch me, but successful nan backmost of my caput it was ever there," she said.

"I tried to beryllium excessively relaxed and not beryllium arsenic fierce aliases person that fire. But possibly erstwhile I look back, possibly I was excessively relaxed and not reacting to definite things which benignant of made maine a spot much calm.

"In nan conflict game, yea it's bully to beryllium calm but I americium an fierce combatant and I needed that.

"I'm giving this different changeable truthful I request to get that conflict and anger backmost successful me, equilibrium it out."

Ryan says she expects to make her return to nan ringing successful August successful nan United Kingdom, pinch her guidance presently searching for an opponent.

Cris Cyborg, a erstwhile UFC and PFL world champion successful MMA, is 1 sanction being mentioned and Ryan asked her squad to research nan anticipation of making that match-up.

The Brazilian has a 5-0 grounds successful master boxing, pinch her astir caller bout successful May.

"Her floor plan is big," Ryan said of Cyborg. "I saw she was calling retired Claressa Shields, which is conscionable crazy.

"It would beryllium awesome - I'd beryllium happy if they made that fight. She seems very confident, but it's boxing, she wouldn't hit me."

Despite her liking successful Cyborg, Ryan says it is much apt she will person a tune-up fight.

"I cognize perchance my adjacent conflict won't beryllium a large fight. I americium coming disconnected a nonaccomplishment truthful I person to build myself up," she said.