Ryan Garcia’s fight with Rukiya Anpo postponed as injury derails exhibition showdown
Ryan Garcia remains banned from professional boxing, having originally been set to take part in an exhibition bout later this month
Ryan Garcia has been forced to pull out of his exhibiton bout with Rukiya Anpo later this month with a new date set to be confirmed in the first few weeks of 2025.
Garcia has suffered a wrist injury in training for his upcoming bout, in what will be his first since his controversial win over Devin Haney, which went on to be ruled a no-contest after he was failed a drug test – one that saw him handed a 12-month suspension after Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) had ruled that he had tested positive for Ostarine.
Garcia had initially denied that he had taken any banned substances in his career, but later agreed to a plea deal that saw him handed a 12-month suspension while being fined $1.1 million.
In preparation for his comeback to professional boxing, he’d hoped to face Anpo in an exhbition bout on one of RIZIN’s cards, where the same fighter had recently faced Manny Pacquiao in the same stipulations.
But the former WBC lightweight champion will now have to wait if he’s willing to fight Anpo, with him set to be ruled out of action for several weeks.
In a statement put out by his team, Garcia said: “I’ve been eagerly preparing for my upcoming exhibition fight in Japan, training hard in Dallas over the past several weeks.
“Unfortunately, I sustained a hand injury during training and returned to Los Angeles to be seen by the doctor, who has advised me to postpone my December 30 exhibition.”
Anpo has only had one boxing bout in his carer, coming against Pacquiao, with the Japanese star being much more reknowned for his kickboxing career. In that bout, Anpo dominated the legendary figure, who was criticized for stepping back into the ring aged 45.
“I surpass Ryan in size, speed, power, everything,” Anpo said in a statement sent to The Express US.
“If he goes into this match feeling like a party, it’s definitely going to be a beatdown. I’m going to beat the s*** out of an arrogant, cocky Ryan, and show America who the real bad boy is.”
Standing at 6 feet, Anpo would have had a huge height and reach advantage of Garcia should they step into the ring, with the latter hoping to get back on track after having his career derailed following his performance against Haney.
