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Ryan Garcia Returns: Exhibition Fight Announced Against Ex-Pacquiao Rival

Boxing News: Ryan Garcia to fight Rukiya Anpo in Japanese exhibition match.

Mathew Riddle

Getty Images

Ryan Garcia is finally returning to the ring, even if it's for an unofficial match.

'Golden Boy' received a year long suspension from boxing for a failed drug test after defeating Devin Haney in June (since overturned). He will return in an unofficial capacity against Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo. Garcia confirmed the news in a social media post on November 18, and the fight will be available on PPV on December 30.

Who is Rukiya Anpo? Garcia vs. Anpo Explained

Anpo is a top-ranked kickboxer and former two-time K-1 world champion. He has a professional kickboxing record of 27 wins, eight losses, and one draw. His last appearance in any capacity was against legendary boxing champion Manny Pacquiao in RIZIN in July, which was ruled a draw as per the exhibition rules.

Boxing News: Manny Pacquiao Goes to War in RIZIN Super Fight

The only way to win the RIZIN exhibition was by knockout, and Anpo definitely pursued that avenue, taking the action to Pacquiao across three rounds. Anpo, standing seven inches taller than Pacquaio, appeared to win the fight from a visual standpoint, and his aggression is something that Garcia doesn't like.

"This man tried to knock out [Pacquiao] in an exhibition!!" Garcia wrote. "Rubbed me the wrong way now ima have to teach Anpo a lesson!!!"

Anpo vs. Pacquiao

Check out Anpo's fight with Pacquiao below, courtesy of RIZIN on YouTube.

Anpo vs. Strickland

Anpo can also be seen going hard against former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland in a video from June.

What do you think of Garcia vs. Anpo?

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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