Ryan Garcia’s eight-round exhibition bout against Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo is back in this RIZIN and FANMIO promoted event on December 30th in Tokyo, Japan. There is real potential for an upset in this bout, with Anpo defeating the highly rated Garcia.
Garcia vs. Anpo event will air on December 30th at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT.
On the undercard, Curmel Moton (6-0, 5 KOs) takes on 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 big hit in this fight if he looks bad or loses to Anpo. While this is an exhibition, Ryan’s value could be lost if he gets knocked out or struggles against this rookie fighter.
Ryan-Anpo is a classic boxer vs. kickboxer matchup that makes it interesting and difficult 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 that type of fighter after his two bouts 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 type of fighter.
Anpo completely dominated 45-year-old Manny Pacquiao earlier this year in their three-round exhibition bout on July 28 in Tokyo. It was a bad look for former eight-division world champion Pacquiao to get hammered by Anpo as he looked like he could be knocked out of the ring at one point.
Ring rust factor
Ryan will have some ring rust. He has been on an eight-month layoff since his April 20 fight against Devin Haney. 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 field advantage over Ryan.
B-side? Or Trap?
“It’s bad that he’s B-side and not the #1 guy. I feel for him. He is fighting one of the top superstars in the world. I do what I want. He needs to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride,” Ryan Garcia said during the Tokyo press conference let Anpo know this week that he is ‘The Opponent’ and NOT the star in this fight.
“It’s going back and enjoying the ride. shut up You have to stay where you are, keep quiet and do what you are told. That’s it,” Ryan said, cutting in when Anpo tried to speak.
