BEVERLY HILLS, California – Ryan Garcia and Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo met face to face for the first time on Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton during their kickoff press conference announcing their December 30 exhibition match in Tokyo.
For the suspended star Garcia, 24-1 (20 KOs), it was the first time he faced the assembled media following his April 20 fight against Devin Haney, a clash shrouded in controversy after Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine. As a result of the violation, Garcia's majority decision victory was overturned to a no contest and he was suspended for a year. Garcia knocked down Haney three times in the fight, and afterward, Haney filed a lawsuit against Garcia for battery.
Garcia is now hitting the reset button and trying to stay off the sidelines by taking on Anpo, who last fought in an exhibition against Manny Pacquiao in July. Anpo has a kickboxing record of 27 wins (14 KOs), eight losses and one draw.
FanMio CEO Solomon Engel told BoxingScene the exhibition will be contested at a catchweight of 153lbs across eight two-minute rounds, with 10-ounce gloves. Engel said the FanMio pay-per-view ($49.99) undercard will feature two former champions and prominent boxing prospects in separate exhibition bouts. Over 40,000 fans are expected to attend the attraction at the Saitama Super Arena.
“Obviously I am suspended, so this is my only option to stay active,” Garcia told BoxingScene and other media following the press conference. “Obviously it had to be a tainted supplement. That's the traces they found. It's pretty disappointing, but there is nothing I can do now. I just have to go with the flow.
“I'm having this exhibition because it's a big event and to stay in shape for a bigger fight, to keep that rhythm going. This is my only route, so I found a way. Obviously taking months off ruins, you lose a step, so we're going to see how it goes. From there, we'll make a decision. … I'm just trying to get in the mix of things after a long break, get used to training, stay in shape and just continue developing for a big fight in April. That's what me, Golden Boy and the whole team plan to do. It depends on how I feel.”
Hours after the press conference was over, Golden Boy, Garcia's promoter, released a statement declaring the exhibition against Anpo could not happen without their permission.
The statement read: “Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event [Garcia vs Anpo] have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan Garcia.”
Garcia also didn’t rule out fighting in another exhibition after Anpo to continue getting fight-ready. He mentioned rematches against Haney and Gervonta Davis as well as clashes against titleholders Teofimo Lopez Jnr and Jose Valenzuela as viable options for his pro return.
“Right now, I am just enjoying the event and trying to soak it all in and give the fans a good show,” said Garcia. “One thing about me is that we don't ever bring boring fights. It's an amazing opportunity against Anpo for me to grow my fan base in Japan.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on , , and , through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via .