Sandy Ryan goes up against Jessica McCaskill on Saturday, September 23 at Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The contest pits British WBO welterweight titleholder against American unified WBA and WBC champion, who previously held the 147-pound undisputed crown. The scheduled for 10 rounds world championship unification bout is featured on the card, topped by Richardson Hitchins vs Jose Zepeda. The event airs live stream on DAZN.
30-year-old Sandy Ryan (6-1 2 KOs) of Derby, Derbyshire landed the belt in April in Cardiff, Wales, where she scored a unanimous decision against Marie Pier Houle. 39-year-old two-division world champion Jessica McCaskill (12-3 5 KOs) of Chicago, Illinois was in action last November in Abu Dhabi, where she dropped a unanimous decision against Chantelle Cameron in her bid to claim the undisputed super lightweight title.
“This is just massive for me,” said Sandy Ryan. “Jessica is up there, she is on the pound-for-pound list and that’s where I want to be, so I need to beat girls like her to be where she is. I really respect Jessica as a fighter, and you’ll see that this week with the shape that I am in and the mentality that I have. I remember watching her against Katie and she’s done so well since then, she’s always been in the big fights, and she’s won most of them.”
“She’s tough, she’s going to come with everything, she’s never been stopped and she knows the pro game because she’s been in it a long time so she knows all the tricks, but I feel that with my ability I am at another level to her.”
“I’m not going off the Chantelle Cameron fight as I think she had a bad night; I’ve had a bad night and I don’t think anyone would look at me with that performance. I can see that there’s some bad habits from that fight, but she will be training her heart out for this fight because if she loses, it’s her last fight, she’ll have nothing, no belts. That’s why I am making sure I am fully prepared. She’s going to see isn’t she. I don’t need to say much, we’ll see on Saturday night, just be ready, keep the belts warm for me.”
‘I think I can be a star in the game’
“It’s all about big fights now for me. This is massive but the level I am at, if I win this fight, I want to be undisputed and there’s nothing bigger, so this is the level I am now. You never know in boxing what is going to happen but now I am at this level, I feel I am here to stay.”
“Every pro wants to hold all the belts, that’s the aim, it’s legacy. Welterweight is where I am at, I’ve done 140 lbs as well, there are some massive fights that can be made with all the best girls, let me get all the belts at 147 lbs and then let’s all make big fights.”
“I think I can be a star in the game. I’m quite low-key, but I know what I can achieve, and I can be a massive name in the women’s pro scene.”
In the main event, Richardson Hitchins (16-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York defends his IBF North American super lightweight title against former two-division world title challenger Jose Zepeda (36-3 27 KOs) of Long Beach, California. In addition, the vacant WBC “Silver” and WBO NABO belts are on the line.
In the UK and Australia, Hitchins vs Zepeda airs live on Sunday, September 23.
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