Ryan vs Grierson Predictions: Sandy saddles up for another ride towards world gold

Former WBO welterweight champion Sandy Ryan takes on Jade Grierson on Saturday, September 6. The bout takes place on the undercard of Pat McCormack vs Miguel Parra at the Rainton Meadows Arena in Sunderland. The card will be broadcast live on DAZN.

Here are my Ryan vs Grierson predictions ahead of this welterweight 10-rounder.

Ryan vs Grierson Odds

Ryan is a mammoth 1/50 to get the job done here. Grierson is your 14/1 long-shot. The draw is priced at 22/1.

Ryan vs Grierson Fight Preview

The last time Ryan boxed on British soil, she stopped Terri Harper in four rounds to score a career-best victory. The Derby fighter made the second defence of her WBO welterweight title by dispatching someone who had been a symbol of British women’s boxing. It felt like a watershed moment. 

Since that April 2024 outing, Harper has won two fights while Ryan has lost the same amount. ‘Belter’ shocked Rhiannon Dixon for the WBO lightweight crown before defending it successfully against Natalie Zimmermann. Both women suffered their first career defeats to Harper. Meanwhile, Ryan went to New York with her belt and lost it to Mikaela Mayer, before failing to reclaim it against the new champion in Las Vegas.

Boxing is cyclical and you can never write a fighter out. That can be applied to both Harper’s revival and the possibility of a Ryan resurgence. ‘Belter’ lit the way and now Ryan must walk that same path.

The Mayer series was scintillating in and out of the ring. There was genuine distaste for one another in the build-up, centred on the fact Mayer’s ex-coach Kay ‘Coach K’ Koroma, moved over to work with Ryan for the fights. This shot the rivalry through with personal venom that only helped when it came to anticipation and interest.

Before a gloved fist had struck flesh, a can of red paint was thrown over Ryan on her way into the arena. Team Mayer denied any involvement while the Brit obviously still had her suspicions. Ryan also claimed a campaign of hate was directed at her team that included derogatory flyers and personal threats.

The antics came to a pause when 10 rounds of world championship fighting had to take place. Mayer narrowly edged Ryan on a majority decision. Some ringsiders, as well as ESPN, had Ryan ahead. It was no robbery, just the sort of close fight that is open to interpretation. With the fine-line fisticuffs, and a surrounding drama that would make Triple H blush, a rematch was a certainty.

Mayer won an exciting rematch by a clearer margin, taking a deserved unanimous decision on the scorecards. It was a rough-and-tough affair, with the American battling through a cut and Ryan pushing the pace. But without the paint, the leaflets or the Coach K drama; the right fighter won.

Ryan now walks into her 12th pro fight with a 7-3-1 record that does not do her justice in terms of how good she is. Her first defeat came back in 2022, just four fights into her pro career. But Ryan faced former two-weight world champion Erica Arias on that occasion, only losing on a split decision. She avenged the result in her next fight.

Since then Ryan has gone to a hotly-contested draw against then-WBC, WBA and lineal queen Jessica McCaskill in a title unification, in a fight many thought she won. Then came the Harper highs and Mayer lows. 

Ryan belongs at this level, She has beaten three former or reigning world champions in her seven victories, and her losses also came at world level, often in close fights. That buys you some clemency, but not an excessive amount. Ryan will know that she has to kick on now. An eighth win kicks open the doors. A fourth defeat bolts them shut.

Grierson has clearly been sought to provide the former. The word “underdog” does not even begin to cut it. The 34-year-old has a 5-0-1 record during which she has never fought a fighter with a winning record. The draw on Grierson’s ledger came against 10-25-5 Vaida Masiokaite. Admittedly she avenged it, but there is nothing she offers that Ryan has not seen before.

That is sort of the point. Undercards in Houghton-le-Spring are not a long-term destination for Ryan. This is about getting some minutes in her legs and someone’s face on her fists. A warm-up for a return to world honours. A means to an end. Because Ryan knows her next defeat really could be the end. 

Ryan vs Grierson Full Card

Pat McCormack vs Miguel Parra

Mark Dickinson vs Troy Williamson

Sandy Ryan vs Jade Grierson

Cameron Vuong vs TBA

Tiah Mai Ayton vs Lydie Bialic

Leo Atang vs Cristian Uwaka

Bradley Casey vs Goran Kozul

Adam Maca vs TBA

Ryan vs Grierson Prediction

Ryan all day long. Unless something goes catastrophically wrong this should be a complete procession. A chance to offer a glimpse of her skill-set before testing it further up in class. Sandy does not get a lot of knockouts, but this fight seems like an opportunity to do just that. Ryan by KO is 4/6.

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