Oscar De La Hoya has declared Ryan Garcia’s exhibition bout with Rukiya Anpo has not received permission from him to go ahead.
Garcia is due to return to the ring against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo on December 30 in Japan and appeared at a press conference with his opponent in Los Angeles on Tuesday night.
Garcia vs Anpo are due to square off on December 30[/caption]
However, just hours after both men took to the stage to promote the show, De La Hoya, who is Garcia’s promoter, released a statement insisting that ‘as of today there is no event’.
“Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights,” tweeted the chairman and CEO of the company on Tuesday.
“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 was suspended from professional boxing by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) after testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine in three separate drug tests taken around his last outing against Devin Haney in April.
Garcia was initially declared the victor via unanimous decision in a fight that saw him floor Haney three times.
But the result has since been overturned to a no-contest.
Garcia remains under suspension until April 2025 but is pursuing an exhibition bout with Anpo in Tokyo under Japanese promotional banner RIZIN.
The event is expected to be broadcast on Fanmio as a pay-per-view attraction.
Boxing fans will remember Anpo for his exhibition bout with Manny Pacquiao in July.
The fight was a non-scoring bout so it ended in an automatic draw, however, Anpo dominated the proceedings.
Anpo is a seasoned kickboxer, who previously held the K-1 super lightweight title and finished as the runner-up in the 2021 K-1 welterweight grand prix.
The 29-year-old holds a professional kickboxing record of 27-8-1 and is also 0-1 in pro MMA.
Garcia and Anpo are set to meet at a 153lbs catchweight next month.
At their press conference yesterday, Garcia explained why he chose Anpo as his opponent.
“He tried to knock out Manny Pacquiao and it p***** me off, so now I have to teach him a lesson and teach him how to box.
Things got heated at their launch press conference in Los Angeles[/caption]
“He’s got some size and he’s real excited right now, but I’m gonna have to settle him down and knock him out. We’re gonna put a whupping on this boy.
“His energy is definitely waking me up. I was ready to enjoy the festivities but now he’s waking the dragon up. I’m definitely looking to knock him out now.
“He’s a young fighter who was trying to make a statement against a legend in Manny Pacquiao. That rubbed me the wrong way and now I’m here to show him someone in his prime with speed and power.”
Anpo then launched into a lengthy rant before throwing a piece of paper at Garcia.
“We know that Ryan likes to make excuses, miss weight and lacks professionalism,” he said.
“He’s got no sportsmanship and no respect. Yet he dares to call himself ‘King’.
“On fight day I will show him that we fight for honour and legacy. I bring the real Samurai spirit and will show him exactly where he belongs.
“As a professional, you have to put on a fun and entertaining fight for the fans. I regret that I couldn’t finish Manny Pacquiao.
“That’s what we train to do in every fight. I have even more motivation this time and I will knock him out and finish Ryan Garcia as a professional.
“He says he doesn’t know who I am, but he will find out on fight day. I will put everything into this fight because I believe in myself and know I will win. I will announce Rukiya Anpo to the global audience.
“He’s got a world-class left hook, I’ll give him that. I’ll be aware of it and I’ll be ready for it. He’s unpolished and gets sloppy and over the course of the fight, I’ll take advantage of that.
“I know how big of an opportunity this is and I know what’s at stake. But I’m not satisfied just being here.
“I want to show everything I can do in this fight and I won’t be satisfied until I knock him out. I want to take my name to the next level because of what I do in the ring.
“He better be grateful to me, I gave him this opportunity. I’ve fought in front of 50,000 people, he doesn’t know what he’s in for.
“I feel he’s been very disrespectful to the sport. He’s a fake ‘King’.”
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