Earlier today, RIZIN held a press conference to announce a Dec. 30 fight in Tokyo between Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo, but Golden Boy Promotions says the fight — as of now — isn’t happening.
Golden Boy sent out a press release noting that the company has exclusive rights to Garcia’s fights, and that at this time, they have not provided approval.
“Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event 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 (24-1, 20 KO) last fought on Apr. 20, beating Devin Haney in a fight where Garcia missed weight and then reportedly failed drug tests after the bout. The win was changed to a no-contest/no-decision, and Garcia is currently serving a one-year suspension with the New York State Athletic Commission.
The bout with Anpo, a former kickboxing champion, will be or was to have been an exhibition, similar to bouts RIZIN has done in the past with Floyd Mayweather. Those fights were full contact, or pretty close to that anyway, but didn’t count on official records and weren’t sanctioned boxing contests.
The fight, if it does happen, will be a Fanmio pay-per-view for viewers in the U.S. at a price of $49.99. The bout would be contested at 153 lbs with eight, two-minute rounds.
Here’s the presser from earlier today: