Although he has been quiet for a few months, boxing star Ryan Garcia will return to the ring but this time in an exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, against Japanese kickboxing sensation Rukiya Anpo on December 30, streaming live on FANMIO PPV ($49.99). Garcia is still serving his one-year suspension for testing positive for PEDs in April. Since this fight is an exhibition and out of the country, there is nothing that could stop Garcia from taking part in an exhibition. One thing is for sure: the boxing world will be paying attention to this fight to see how Garcia looks after being inactive since April.
Here are the rest of the details for the December 30 event, along with some quotes from the fighters and the event organizers.
“I’m looking forward to knocking Anpo out for trying to knock out the legend Manny Pacquiao,” said Ryan Garcia. “Manny is past his prime and for him to try to knock him out rubbed me the wrong way. I will knock him out and teach him a lesson of respect.”
“I surpass Ryan in size, speed, power, everything,” said Rukiya Anpo. “If he goes into this match feeling like a party, it’s definitely going to be a beatdown. I’m going to beat the shit out of an arrogant, cocky Ryan and show America who the real bad boy is.”
The pay-per-view presentation will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will be available for purchase worldwide at FANMIO.com/PPV, excluding Japan. Fans can also purchase through the FANMIO App, which is available globally via smart televisions and mobile devices via Apple iOS and tvOS devices, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, Vizio Smart TV, Google TV and Chromecast. A jam-packed lineup of exciting undercard bouts leading up to Garcia vs. Anpo will be announced in the coming weeks.
“We’re incredibly excited about the future working with RIZIN, Japan’s biggest combat sports company and there’s no better way to launch our partnership than with Ryan Garcia vs Rukiya Anpo,” said Solomon Engel, FANMIO CEO. “This is definitely an intriguing fight with Ryan’s power and Anpo’s significant size advantage. We look forward to having an amazing event that everyone will enjoy on December 30. Make sure to tune in.”
“We are delighted to celebrate our 10th New Year’s Eve event by hosting this super fight,” said Nobuyuki Sakakibara, RIZIN CEO. “We’re happy to partner with Fanmio to make this event spectacular and deliver it to fans worldwide.”
The 26-year-old Ryan Garcia sports an outstanding record of 24-1 with 20 KOs and will compete in an exhibition for his first boxing action since his April fight against Devin Haney. A native of Victorville, California, Garcia was undefeated in his first 23 professional fights following a stellar amateur career. As he rose through the rankings, Garcia’s star exploded across social media and translated to packed venues as he became one of boxing’s true crossover stars. His lone defeat came in a 2023 mega-event against three-division champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, as their years-long rivalry culminated in the ring with an event that sold over a million pay-per-views.
A native of Himeji, Japan who was trained in karate from an early age alongside his younger brother Riku Anpo, Rukiya Anpo has risen to superstardom in Japan with his kickboxing prowess and earned himself the “Demolition Man” moniker as he’s taken out opponent after opponent. In 2019, he became a kickboxing world champion by defeating Kaew Fairtex in back-to-back fights to capture the super lightweight title. His accolades throughout his kickboxing career also include earning second place in the 2021 Welterweight Grand Prix, in addition to 2018 and 2020 Fight of the Year and 2017 KO of the Year awards. He debuted with RIZIN in 2023, fighting Buakaw Banchamek to a draw before defeating Sho Patrick Usami.
Following his boxing debut in the special exhibition against Pacquiao, Anpo will bring his experience, size advantage and the inspiration from his legions of Japanese fans into the ring as he looks to upset the heavy-handed Garcia in his opponent’s first fight outside of North America. With two all-action styles set to meet in the center of the ring, Garcia vs. Anpo promises fireworks to close out the year.
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