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Press Conference Notes: Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan Set for Heated Welterweight World Title Rematch Saturday in Las Vegas PhilBoxing.com Fri, 28 Mar 2025  Mayer-Ryan 2 and Brian Norman Jr.-Derrieck Cuevas will be broadcast Saturday LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT LAS VEGAS (March 27, 2025) — Two-weight queen Mikaela Mayer and former champion Sandy Ryan are two days away from settling unfinished business. Mayer will defend her WBO welterweight world title in a rematch against Ryan this Saturday, March 29, at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) edged Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) via split decision following a chaotic pre-fight buildup last September, sparking calls for an immediate rematch. In the co-feature, Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) will make the inaugural defense of his WBO welterweight world championship against Puerto Rican challenger Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs). Mayer-Ryan II and Norman-Cuevas will be broadcast LIVE on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The ESPN+-streamed undercard begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and features Brooklyn-born featherweight phenom Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (14-0, 8 KOs), who faces Mexican slugger Jose Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs) in a 10-round WBC final eliminator. U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson (14-0, 6 KOs) makes his welterweight debut against Kendo Castaneda (21-8, 9 KOs) in an eight-rounder, while junior welterweight Emiliano Fernando Vargas (12-0, 8 KOs) steps up against Giovannie Gonzalez (20-7-2, 15 KOs) in an eight-rounder. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Matchroom Boxing, tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com. This is what the fighters said at Thursday’s press conference: Mikaela Mayer “I am glad that she pulled through {in the first fight}. It’s disappointing that her team wasn’t as cool, calm, and collected as she was. Your team is supposed to hold you down and keep your mind right. So that was unfortunate, but she showed up and gave the fans a good fight. You’ve got to give her props for that.” “I really feel great. I feel better than ever. Many people feel that at this stage of your career, it’s hard to make that much of a jump and develop or change much. But I really do feel that I’m better than ever. I’m stronger and healthy at welterweight. I’m not really cutting weight. All my little tweaks and injuries went away. And I’ve been able to put on muscle.” “I’m sure she feels that {she will stop me}. I’m sure she felt that way in the last fight when she was saying that I’m not truly a welterweight. But I still sent her to the hospital with a concussion. If I did that then when I was new to welterweight, then I’m going to hurt her 10 times more this time around.” Sandy Ryan “I’ve worked hard. I’ve had a long camp here. I’m ready to make a difference on Saturday night.” “I’m not taking anything away from Mikaela. She’s got the belt. I appreciate her accepting the rematch and making this fight. It’s what the fans wanted because it was a great first fight. But I’ll be taking that belt back.” “I know that I’m a fighter. I would have never pulled out of the fight {after the paint incident}. I let people see what kind of person and fighter I am. Despite what they threw at me, I still got in there and put on a performance.” “I need to just be me with no distractions. I need to be levelheaded and calm. That’s how I’m approaching this whole fight week and fight night.” Brian Norman Jr. “You’re not a real champion until you defend your title. And I’ve got a tough competitor ahead of me. I’m ready to prove myself.” “It is a transition from targeting others to now being a target. So now it’s not about looking out anymore but more so about looking in at the man in the mirror and on what I need to work on. I now have nothing holding me back regarding injuries. I’m very well rested. I’ve got my mind together. I’ve got everything together. And now it’s just time to prove myself.” “I hit hard. I got speed. I’m not going to get tired. I’ve got 12 rounds to beat you up if need be. You simply don’t have enough." Derrieck Cuevas “I’m very happy to be here. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I’ve been training very hard. I’m ready. I’m born for this.” “He’s got the pressure. He’s got to look good because everyone knows that he didn’t get the belt by fighting a world champion. But, I’m ready. I hit hard. I’m strong.” “You’re a good fighter. But I’m stronger than you. I’m smarter than you. You will see Saturday night." Bruce Carrington “I’m super prepared. There is nothing that can knock my confidence now. I feel like it’s already written. I feel like all I need to do is step in the ring, and everything will just happen the way it’s supposed to happen in order for me to get the victory.” “I want to be a world champion by the end of 2025. I am not looking past Jose Enrique Vivas. But I’m for sure looking through him, though. This is one of the steps I need to take in order to make what I want happen.” Jose Enrique Vivas "I trained very hard in Mexico at 9,000 feet altitude. We were supposed to fight last June, but there was an issue with my visa. It arrived too late, so we stayed in camp. I always stay training. I’ve got a gym in Mexico, so I’m always there. And I’m ready. God’s timing is perfect. Now we’re here to give a war and, God willing, win.” “I am very prepared. This is my time. I was born to be a champion. This is my dream, so we will win on Saturday.” Emiliano Fernando Vargas “In my last fight, I had a hairline fracture in my hand. I pushed through, and 30 seconds later, I was able to get him out of there. A lot of people didn’t know that. But I was able to push through adversity and get him out there with my other hand. When you are a winner, you find a way to win. I’m an exciting fighter. I could have gone the distance, but why not give the fans a show?" Tiger Johnson “It was time for me to move up to welterweight. I didn’t really feel like myself. But I’m happy that I’ve been able to get a lot of experience with the fights I’ve been getting. Top Rank has been doing a really good job with me. It has helped me.” “I’m feeling a lot stronger now. We had a really good camp, and I’m ready to put on an amazing performance.” Saturday, March 29 ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) Mikaela Mayer vs. Sandy Ryan, 10 rounds, Mayer's WBO Welterweight World Title Brian Norman Jr. vs. Derrieck Cuevas, 12 rounds, Norman's WBO Welterweight World Title ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT) Bruce Carrington vs. Jose Enrique Vivas, 10 rounds, WBC featherweight eliminator Emiliano Fernando Vargas vs. Giovannie Gonzalez, 8 rounds, junior welterweight Tiger Johnson vs. Kendo Castañeda, 8 rounds, welterweight Emmanuel Chance vs. Miguel Guzman, 4 rounds, bantamweight Dedrick Crocklem vs. Dionne Ruvalcaba, 4 rounds, junior lightweight  |
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