Ryan Garcia could reportedly be taking an exhibition match in December in Japan for RIZIN.
There’s no word whether this would be a boxing or MMA exhibition for the 25-year-old Ryan Garcia. With his star power, it’s likely to sell in Japan.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) was given a year suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission recently for his positive PED tests from last April. His back-dated suspension ends in 8 1/2 months in April 2025.
Many fans would be angered if Ryan participated in an exhibition match, as they would view it as his method of circumventing the remaining eight months of his suspension.
Ryan is not happy about his suspension, insisting that he’s innocent and never used the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine, which he tested positive for. If this is how he feels, it’s understandable why he would want to take part in an exhibition bout to stay sharp, make money, and continue to remain one of the most popular fighters in North America.
Boxing insider Julianis Julius said this on X, “I hear that GBP has given Ryan permission to do an exhibition match in Japan (for RIZIN) in December of this year.”
If it’s a boxing match for Ryan against one of the local Japanese fighters, he would likely have an easy time because he’s one of the best fighters in the world at 140 and 147.
In Ryan’s last fight, he defeated WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney by a twelve-round majority decision on April 20th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The fight was a mismatch from round one, as Ryan immediately hurt Haney with a left hook and dominated the remainder of the contest.
In the seventh, Ryan dropped Haney three times, but the referee counted only one of the knockdowns and seemingly saved Devin by stopping the action to deduct a point from Garcia for hitting on the break.
When Ryan’s suspension ends next April, a rematch with Haney will likely be the first fight he takes. The two fighters can make a huge amount of money in a rematch, especially if Haney isn’t beaten before then.
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