Sandy Ryan validated the bold push towards her first main title struggle.
A tour-de-force efficiency was delivered by the gifted boxer, who outclassed Canada’s Marie Pier Houle of their vacant WBO welterweight title struggle. Judges Christophe Beaurain (99-91), Howard Foster (98-92) and Marco Moscadelli (97-93) all scored huge in favor of Ryan of their DAZN-aired co-feature Saturday night from Cardiff Worldwide Area in Cardiff, Wales.
Ryan did her half to not get dragged into her opponent’s desired a tempo, a flaw that led to her lone profession defeat in simply her fourth professional struggle barely a yr in the past. The previous newbie standout from Derby—whose credentials embrace a 2017 win over Lauren Value, who went on to win Olympic Gold 4 years later in Tokyo—used her jab and slick footwork to keep away from early punishment. Houle charged ahead behind her jab and tried to work the physique.
Houle closed the hole and linked with a mixture upstairs late in spherical two. Ryan took the photographs properly and returned to her desired distance earlier than she linked with a proper hand within the ultimate ten seconds.
There was higher dedication to energy photographs utilized by Ryan in spherical three. The proficient Brit linked with a lead uppercut, which Houle disregarded however to which she didn’t have an instantaneous response. Houle was pressured to tie up Ryan after taking an overhand proper late within the spherical.
Houle continued to struggle with the willpower of a significant title hopeful however her aggression performed properly into Ryan’s arms. Ryan persistently landed uppercuts and left hooks on the unbeaten Quebecer in spherical 5. Houle confirmed a sturdy chin however was unable to reply. Ryan ended the spherical with a digging left hook to the physique.
Ryan opened the second half with the identical instruments that produced frequent success within the previous rounds. Houle prolonged her jab and provided looping left hooks however was typically crushed to the punch earlier than she may launch her personal photographs. Ryan walked by way of a left hook to rattle off a flurry of energy photographs upstairs as Houle was trapped alongside the ropes.
Houle stormed again in spherical seven. She didn’t essentially win the spherical outright however managed to drop just a few lefts and rights on Ryan’s granite chin.
Ryan widened her assault in spherical eight. The jab was nonetheless key for the Englishwoman, who adopted with proper arms across the excessive guard of a defensive-minded Houle. Motion remained a technique in spherical 9, which noticed Houle regularly clinch as Ryan pressed ahead in an effort to stamp her arrival on the title scene. A proper uppercut snapped again the pinnacle of Houle with 30 seconds to go within the ninth.
The ultimate two minutes noticed Ryan proceed to push for the knockout earlier than she ultimately settled for the huge choice win. Houle confirmed coronary heart and grit however was pressured to simply accept her first defeat as she fell to 8-1-1 (2KOs) in her first title struggle and in addition first profession struggle outdoors of North America.
Ryan superior to 6-1 (2KOs) with the win, her third straight since a ten-round, break up choice to former titlist Erica Farias simply 13 months in the past. An early indication of simply how she’s constructed completely different got here in her insistence to right away run it again. Ryan gained their rematch simply 5 months later and adopted with a ten-round shutout of former light-weight titlist Anahi Esther Sanchez final November 26.
The WBO belt was relinquished by Jessica McCaskill within the weeks following her defeat to Chantelle Cameron of their undisputed junior welterweight championship final November 5 in Abu Dhabi. Chicago’s McCaskill nonetheless holds the lineal, WBC and WBO welterweight titles and in addition fights for her previous IBF belt in a forthcoming conflict versus Ivana Habazin later this June.
Rumors have swirled {that a} McCaskill-Ryan conflict may observe. Eddie Hearn—Ryan’s promoter—confirmed that the 2 have agreed to phrases in precept, although McCaskill nonetheless has to win her subsequent struggle.
Headlining the present, Shavkat Rakhimov (17-0-1, 14KOs) defends the IBF junior light-weight title versus former claimant and native hero Joe Cordina (15-0, 9KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior author for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
