Ryan Garcia Will Duel With Japanese Kickboxer Rukya Anpo
JAKARTA Boxer from the United States, Ryan Garcia, will return to the boxing ring to undergo an exhibition fight against a kickboxer from Japan, Rukiya Anpo.
The fight between the two will take place on December 30, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. Pay-per-view tickets (PPV) for this duel have already begun to be sold.
Garcia had great motivation to win the fight because he thought Anpo did not respect Manny Pacquiao when the two had an exhibition duel in July 2024 which ended in a draw.
"I can't wait to beat Anpo for disrespecting Manny Pacquiao. I will teach him a lesson about respect," he said followed by Boxing Scene.
On the other hand, 28-year-old Anpo is a former kickboxing world champion. The fighter, known as Democracy Man, has won awards such as Fight of the Year and KO of the Year.
Anpo also climbed into the ring with high confidence and wanted to silence his opponent even though both of them would fight under boxing rules, a sport that specializes in Ryan Garcia.
"If he treats this like a party, I will give him a crushing defeat and show America who really is a naughty man," said Anpo.
The Garcia vs Anpo battle will take place completely under boxing regulations weighing 69.4 kilograms in eight rounds, with each round running for two minutes.
This will mark Garcia's first action since the match against Haney, which was later turned into a no-contest after previously declared an absolute winner.
Garcia, 24-1 (20 KO), from Victorville, California, brought down Haney three times in that disappointing decision. However, before the commission's decision, he was no longer eligible for coming to the weighing place weighing more than three kilograms.
Ryan Garcia is currently undergoing a retroactive suspension period due to failing a performance improvement drug test.
Garcia, 26 years old, in June 2024 was sentenced to a one-year suspension by the New York State Athletics Commission after testing positive for using the Ostarine PED ahead of his fight against Devin Haney.