Ryan says a member of Mayer’s camp hit her with a paint can before the fight

English boxer Sandy Ryan accused Mikaela Mayer, her opponent in a title fight Friday night in New York, of orchestrating a pre-fight stunt in which Ryan was hit by a paint can as she left her hotel earlier in the evening.

Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) lost her WBO welterweight title to Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) by majority decision, with the judges scoring the bout 95-95, 97-93 and 96-94.

The build-up to the fight at Madison Square Garden was deeply personal for both of them, as Ryan had been working with Mayer’s former longtime coach Kay Koroma. Mayer parted ways with Koroma when he decided to work with Ryan, a move she saw as a betrayal.

When Ryan left her hotel to go to the location on Friday, she was struck by an open paint can from an unknown man. She said she felt something “hit” her stomach and then saw a man in a hoodie run to a car and drive away. Ryan was unharmed and continued to the location after changing in her hotel room.

She and her team told ESPN they believed it was a member of Mayer’s camp, an accusation Mayer has denied.

“Mikaela Mayer is going to get it,” Ryan said before the fight. “It was definitely a setup by her team. What else would it be? It has to be. I’m from Great Britain. Who knew what time I would get out of my hotel to get to the venue?”

Mayer of Colorado Springs, Colo., bounced back from a split-decision loss to Natasha Jones in January. Ryan was looking for her second win this year.