Ryan Garcia revealed on Instagram tonight that he’s fighting an exhibition match in Dubai in January 2025. His opponent will be unbeaten Jaber Zayani (18-0, 11 KOs), who fans are not familiar with, but he’ll be useful in this case for exhibition purposes for Ryan.
Zayani fights at lightweight, and will likely have problems with Ryan’s power, speed and size. He’s not young at 34, and he won’t do well if Ryan comes at him hard with power shots like he did Devin Haney.
Garcia will be able to stay busy by taking the exhibition match, which will keep him sharp for his suspension ends in April. It’s unknown how many rounds Ryan’s exhibition match will be, but if he’s being paid millions, you’d have to imagine it would be at least eight.
Fans on social media are divided about the news of Ryan having an exhibition match. Those against the idea are angry that he’s found a way to maneuver around his suspension, and they feel he’s making a joke of the New York Commission by continuing to work in his profession without them being able to prevent this loophole he’s found.
The exhibition is being staged in Dubai, so there’s nothing the New York Commission can do about it. This is NOT the U.S., and it’s an exhibition, not a real fight.
It bugs Haney’s fans because they’re unhappy that Ryan has found a way to bypass the suspension, potentially making millions, while Devin is inactive, with his stock having plummeted to a career-low.
The money that Haney would be offered by any promoter would likely be far below what he’d been used to getting. Until Haney gets the rematch with Ryan, his paydays are likely to be small. Despite his suspension and his win having been erased by the Commission, Ryan is still being treated as the winner.
This is one way for Ryan to stay active while he waits for the remainder of his suspension to end on April 25th, 2025. The New York State Athletic Commission [NYSAC] suspended Ryan for a year for testing positive for the PED Ostarine following his victory over Devin Haney on April 20th.
Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) had been seen training with his old trainer, Joe Goosen, at his gym in Van Nuys, California. It’s unknown if Ryan is dumping his trainer, Derrick James, in favor of returning to Goosen, who he’d worked with for three fights.
Ryan Garcia set to fight on January 2025 against 18-0 Jaber Zayani in exhibition match‼️ pic.twitter.com/oKNBUwuKWN
— Hassan (@Hassanwellss) November 4, 2024
Read the full article here
