‘There is no event’… Ryan Garcia’s RIZIN comeback fight in jeopardy as Oscar De La Hoya puts a block on ring return

Ryan Garcia may have to wait even longer for his next ring outing after his promoter appeared to shut down his planned return.

The popular boxing star will compete against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo in an exhibition match on RIZIN's New Year's Eve. Both men faced off yesterday at a press conference to promote the show, which takes place in Tokyo on December 30.

Garcia is currently serving a suspension after testing positive for a banned substance prior to his victory over Devin Haney in April. But Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya planned to have him participate in this exhibition to keep busy while he was unable to participate in legitimate boxing fights.

Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo faced off during a heated press conference

On Tuesday in Los Angeles, Ryan Garcia faced Rukiya Anpo in the pair's first showdown since their fight was announced. The kickboxer, who is much bigger than his rival, went the distance with Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition fight that many claim he won this summer.

Their gaze was intense as Garcia insisted he planned to get revenge for what was done to Pacquiao during their meeting. “He tried to knock out Manny Pacquiao and that devastated me,” he told the assembled press.

“So now I have to teach him a lesson and teach him how to box. He's a certain size and he's really excited now, but I'm going to have to calm him down and knock him out. We're going to give this boy a beating.

“His energy definitely wakes me up. I was ready to enjoy the festivities, but now he wakes the dragon. I definitely want to knock him out now.”

Oscar De La Hoya declares Ryan Garcia's comeback fight is over

However, it appears to be bad news for Garcia as his anticipated fight could end as quickly as it was. On Tuesday evening, Oscar De La Hoya announced on social media that he and Golden Boy Promotions have not yet signed for the boxer to participate.

Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images

While he refused to completely rule out the idea of ​​a fight on December 30, he did state that he had not yet fully agreed to the terms. The RIZIN show is co-promoted by Fanmio, which also staged Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather in 2021.

“Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia's fights,” he wrote. “The organizers of this event have recognized this as such and have agreed in writing that our signature is required for this event to take place. Since no such signing occurred, there will be no event with Ryan Garcia as of today.”

Garcia appeared to respond to X shortly after De La Hoya tweeted, sharing an emoji of a man covering his face with his palms. However, he has not said more yet.

Ryan Garcia believes Rukiya Anpo tried to use Manny Pacquiao to build his own career

The main issue Garcia seems to have with Anpo dates back to the Super RIZIN 3 clash he had with Pacquiao. Despite it being a goalless match, the much larger man picked up the pace and looked for a stoppage, irritating the American watching ringside.

“He is a young fighter who wanted to make a statement against a legend in Manny Pacquiao,” Garcia said Tuesday. “That rubbed me the wrong way and now I'm here to show him someone in his prime with speed and power.

“I beat a pound-for-pound champion, and you're not at that level. You're going to get hit. You're not good, you're just big. I'm going to knock you out in front of the whole world. You may think this is Hollywood, but this is real. You're going to see who the 'King' is.

“He's going to be the bigger man in that ring. We had to give him something that gave him hope. We're going to adapt and eventually my skills will put me over the top. He's training like this is a world title fight, so we can't take this lightly.”

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