Mikaela Mayer retained her WBO world welterweight title as she beat Sandy Ryan by unanimous decision in a bitterly-contested bout on Saturday.

The American overcame a cut above the eye and Ryan’s rally in the later rounds, finishing with blood streaming down her face from a clash of heads, to win with judge’s scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 98-92.

Mayer landed a number of hard shots in the early rounds and although her challenger fought her way back, the champion was too far ahead on the judge’s cards.

“Now it’s time for me to move on and go for undisputed,” said Mayer, eyeing a winner-takes-all battle with Welsh fighter Lauren Price, who holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, adding the first two to her collection after winning on points over Natasha Jonas earlier this month.

Mayer has now beaten Ryan twice, coming out on top in New York in September last year, when she took the crown from the Derby fighter on points.

That bout had an extra intensity to it when Ryan was splashed with red paint outside her hotel in the lead-up to the fight, with the American denying any involvement in the incident.

The bitter feud between the pair – ignited after Mayer claimed the Brit “stole” her coach, Kay Koroma, who was in Ryan’s corner in Las Vegas – now seems settled in the American’s favour.

She extended her win to 21 wins from 23 bouts and although both fighters lifted their arms at the final bell, Ryan did not protest the result.

“The women are getting better and better – me and Sandy just set the new bar on what competitive fights should look like,” Mayer added.

Additional reporting by PA

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