Ryan Garcia’s December 30 exhibition match against Rukiya Anpo is in doubt after his promoters, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy, said they have exclusive rights to his fights.
Ryan has been quiet since Golden Boy’s statement, only posting once on X, with an emoji, showing his frustration. It is still unclear whether the event can go ahead if Ryan and the company can get the necessary approval. Fanmio would need to strike a deal with Golden Boy for the event to happen if it wants to involve Ryan Garcia, whether that could happen anytime soon is unknown.
If Ryan is hurt or beaten by the much larger 6’0″ Anpo during the exhibition, it could negatively affect his future fights on PPV. This is not a good thing for Golden Boy.
This will be a huge negative for Golden Boy, as Ryan is humiliated by Anpo and beaten by him, which is entirely possible given his size and strength. Anpo did a number on 45-year-old Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition last July.
Since this is a December 30th PPV event, the organizers need to negotiate a deal with Golden Boy and De La Hoya to allow them to continue promoting it. This is the type of event that will require a lot of creative marketing to get fans excited enough to want to buy it on PPV.
Yesterday’s Garcia-Anpo press conference was an excellent start to generating interest with the theatrical feel to it, with Anpo throwing a piece of paper at Ryan, then bumping him. It’s just a shame that everything that can be trashed as a deal can’t be achieved by Fanmio and Golden Boy.
There is speculation whether Ryan and the company organizing the event, Fanmio, can get the approval required by Golden Boy to go ahead with the eight-round exhibition. Ryan (24-1, 20 KOs) usually posts regularly, but he doesn’t say anything that says anything.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) November 27, 2024
Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. As such, the organizers of this event have acknowledged and agreed in writing that our sign-off is necessary for this event to take place. Since no such sign-off has been given, there is no opportunity with Ryan as of today…
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) November 27, 2024
