Calls Mount for Ryan Garcia vs. Rukiya Anpo Cancellation as Japanese Kickboxer Leaves Boxing Analysts Scared

Ryan Garcia, the former interim WBC lightweight champion, is ready to return to the boxing ring in an exhibition fight. ‘The Flash’ will face the Japanese kickboxing star, Rukiya Anpo, on December 30th, as part of the upcoming Rizin event.

Anpo, former K-1 Super Lightweight Champion, has a record of 17-6 before moving under the Rizin banner where he boasts a record of 1-1-1. ‘The Demolition Man’ has recently transitioned into boxing when he faced legendary Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition match, earlier this year. His performance impressed many fans and experts and with the way how Garcia’s 2024 is going, people are skeptical and worried for KingRy. Many analysts even believe that the former WBC interim champion should not be having this fight.

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Boxing commentator and analyst, 2ToneDaSupastar, sat down with Nestor Gibbs and Danny Alvarez on the ‘Tha Boxing Voice’ podcast. The trio talked about the exhibition match and how it might be troublesome for the Victorville resident. 2ToneDaSupastar said, “Ryan Garcia is my gut but I want this fight canceled,” stating that there is a very low chance of ‘The Flash’ winning this fight.

Both Danny and Gibbs agreed with the statement, as the latter stated how impressive Anpo looked during the official press conference. He stated, “Is it cuz you seen that face off and that dude looking big as and he putting hands on Ryan?”

Gibbs then mentioned how the former kickboxer taunted and shoved Garcia on the stage. According to him, Anpo is serious about that fight while mentioning the size difference between both these fighters. He stated, “He shoving Ryan, he throwing paper at Ryan, he about to bring the fight to Ryan. Ryan over here doing shoulder rolls and he like oh wait a minute you just shoved the out of me, that’s a big boy.”

2ToneDaSupastar added the fact that the confrontation could have gone serious if Ryan Garcia had retaliated. “Ryan would have made that uppercut, he would have been put to sleep,” stated the commentator, acknowledging Garcia’s punching power. Gibbs agreed with the statement and accepted the fact that Garcia made Anpo flinch. He is curious as to what Anpo’s “punch resistance like,” and how will he handle Garcia’s punches as he has a clear advantage when it comes to size.

However, during his fight against Pacquiao, Anpo showed enough resistance and competed at war with the former eight-division champion. If we add that Japanese warrior spirit, people worrying about Ryan Garcia seem valid. Furthermore, it looks like 2ToneDaSupastar will get his wish fulfilled of the fight getting canceled. A few days ago, Garcia’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, threatened to not only cancel the fight but to also sue his boxer.

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Oscar De La Hoya clapbackOn Thursday, De La Hoya uploaded his Clap Back Thursday segment to Instagram and targeted Ryan Garcia and Rizin. The former six-division world champion announced that he was not present at the Garcia-Anpo press conference. “I’m not sure if you saw the press conference for the upcoming exhibition fight between Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo. It took place in LA on Tuesday, and I was not there. Because Ryan’s team thought they could negotiate this deal behind my back,” stated Golden Boy.

He further explained that the global rights to Garcia’s fight are with him and without him, the fight can’t happen. The 51-year-old added, “When you sign a contract, it means it’s legally binding. This means you must abide by the terms or risk getting sued,” as he threatened to sue Ryan Garcia.

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De La Hoya made it clear that he is not against the fight and “wants Ryan to make money.” However, he wants ‘KingRy’ to honor his contract and include Golden Boy Promotions in the negotiation. Otherwise, the fight might not happen. With the tension growing between both sides, it does not look like we are close to an agreement.

This has put this fight at an extreme risk of not happening. However, considering Ryan Garcia’s track record, his return was bound to be as eventful as his time away. What are your views on Ryan Garcia vs Rukiya Anpo’s fight? Do you think Anpo is the favorite in the exhibition match? Let us know your thoughts down below.