Ryan Garcia’s eight-round exhibition match against the Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo is back on in this RIZIN and FANMIO-promoted event on December 30th in Tokyo, Japan. There’s a real potential for an upset in this match, with Anpo defeating the highly rated Garcia.
Garcia vs. Anpo event will be shown on December 30th at 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT.
On the undercard, Curmel Moton (6-0, 5 KOs) battles Albert Pagara (35-1, 24 KOs) in eight rounds at light welterweight. Moton is seen as a future star in the sport.
Anpo’s Threat
Garcia’s marketability could take a major hit in this fight if he looks bad or loses to Anpo. While it’s an exhibition, Ryan’s value could be lost if he gets knocked out or struggles against this novice fighter.
Ryan-Anpo is a classic boxer vs. kickboxer match that makes it interesting and hard to predict an outcome.
Anpo has speed, size, and power that Garcia hasn’t seen since his loss to Gervonta Davis in 2023, and he may not be able to handle the kind of fighter after his two matches against Devin Haney and Oscar Duarte. The 29-year-old Anpo has more pop in his punches than Haney, and he could surprise Ryan if he’s not 100% ready for this kind of fighter.
Anpo completely dominated 45-year-old Manny Pacquiao earlier this year in their three-round exhibition match on July 28th in Tokyo. It was a bad look for the former eight-division world champion Pacquiao to get hammered by Anpo because he looked at one point like he was able to get knocked out of the ring.
Ring Rust Factor
Ryan will have some ring rust. He has been on an eight-month layoff since his fight against Devin Haney on April 20. Kingry may see this exhibition match as just an easy payday, but Anpo is taking this match seriously and wants to impress his fans in Japan. He’s going to have the home-country advantage over Ryan.
B-side? Or Trap?
“It sucks that he’s B-side and not the #1 guy. I feel for him. He’s fighting one of the top superstars in the world. I do what I want. He’s got to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride,” said Ryan Garcia during the Tokyo press conference this week, letting Anpo know that he’s ‘The opponent’ and NOT the star in this fight.
“It back and enjoy the ride. Shut up. You got to stay in your place, shut up and do what you’re told. That’s it,” said Ryan, cutting in when Anpo was trying to talk.
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