Sky Sports expert and IBF welterweight world champion, Natasha Jonas considers Sandy Ryan being hit with paint before her fight with former opponent Mikaela Mayer, as well as the future of the division and her own hopes for a showdown with Katie Taylor.

Mikaela Mayer has refuted “baseless” allegations after Sandy Ryan was doused with red paint before their WBO welterweight world title fight, an incident which Ryan says was a “set up” and the NYPD is now investigating.

There have been cases of, for instance, your room being by the lift on your floor in the hotel so that people coming up and down in the lift all night will disturb you, or you’re in a bad hotel that’s got no gym or anything. People do do things to get edges, writes Natasha Jonas.

But I just can’t see Mikaela Mayer orchestrating that [paint being thrown on Ryan]. I’d like to think she wouldn’t. I’d hate to think that I was wrong. With the legal ramifications of it, I don’t think anyone would be that stupid.

Should Sandy have fought? The only one who can answer that question is Sandy but it’s hard because we only get paid if we fight. She doesn’t fight, she doesn’t get paid. I understand why she’s taken the fight.

There were a lot of positives from the performance. Some people said she won, some people said it was a great fight. Regardless of all that went on, she still went out there and performed. She didn’t get the result but she went out there and performed.

I get that you’re so confident in yourself that you didn’t even think it was going to be close. You were going to go to an away card, you’re the champion but in the away corner, against an elite fighter, you thought you were going to win by that much of a margin there was no way they could rob you, and now you’re asking for a rematch?

To not have a rematch clause is a very, very brave thing to do, especially in the climate now.

We had the Sandy vs Jessica McCaskill fight where a lot of people thought Sandy won. In that climate, where decisions are on such narrow margins, why would you take that risk being champion?

You should have a rematch clause anyway. It’s like standard procedure. It’s for those fights that are close.

Eying unifications

I had an exit plan this year. And it’s out the window. Totally out the window.

I would like to think I’ll be out before the end of this year. I think probably against Ivana Habazin, the WBC champion, but I don’t know.

Whether that’s my last fight or not, I don’t think so. A unification with Lauren Price, a unification with Mayer, it all makes sense.

Hopefully Katie Taylor wins against Amanda Serrano and I have a final one with Katie. For me personally, it’s about me. I want to do the things I want to do before I leave. A win over Katie, one win, is a must.