It didn't take long for the Sandy Ryan vs. Mikaela Mayer bout to erupt into a fire fight indicative of all the bad blood and high drama between the boxers entering Friday night's title tilt.
However, even amidst the fiery exchanges, Mayer seemed to come up with the apt punch at the right time to limit Ryan's power just enough to become the new WBO welterweight world champion in a Fight of the Year candidate — if not, frontrunner.
Judges inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday night scored it 95-95, 96-94 and 97-93, granting Mayer with the majority decision victory. DAZN had it 96-94 in favor of Mayer.
The 34-year-old Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) dipped into her bag and relied on her fight IQ to unleash the opportune punches in the spots she needed them the most.
When Ryan was asserting a stiff jab in the opening round, Mayer responded with an overhand right that swiveled the British fighter's jaw and briefly buckled her knees.
During the eighth round when Ryan walked Mayer down, the American star brilliantly fought off her back foot, peppering the rugged fighter with shots before sitting on a left hook that froze Ryan in her tracks.
With the fire fight ultra close entering the 10th and final round, Mayer willed herself to victory with two big right hands.
Leading up to the bout, Mayer had accused her former amateur acquaintance Ryan of stealing her training team.
Then right before the fight, Ryan was doused in red paint upon leaving her New York City hotel and accused Mayer and her team of doing the dirty work — something that Mayer vehemently denied while speaking with ESPN.
That heat paved the way for a fight that delivered in a thriller which fans may love to see ran back in the near future.
Here's how the entire Ryan-Mayer main fight card went.