After an exciting first meeting last week in Los Angeles, neither Ryan Garcia nor his opponent Rukiya Anpo could be bothered to attend their second press conference in Japan.
The pair both appeared virtually, with Garcia appearing on the video link after seemingly warning the promotion in advance. But his rival was due to attend and for some bizarre reason decided not to go.
Anpo and Garcia are set to face off at the Saitama Super Arena on December 30. But this latest incident has raised further concerns about the fight ever taking place after Garcia's promoter Oscar De La Hoya claimed last week that the event was off.
Ryan Garcia's opponent 'overslept' and missed pre-fight press conference
A second press conference was scheduled yesterday to promote Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo's meeting at a RIZIN event in Saitama later this month. After last week's meeting in Los Angeles, it was expected that there would be more fireworks.
But with Garcia participating via video link, Anpo decided not to bother attending, insisting he had overslept and was unable to attend. “Good morning, sorry I overslept,” Anpo told both media and organizers at the event after calling without even a video element.
When Fanmio boss Solomon Engel noted that he had come all the way from America for the press conference and that Anpo should have been there, the kickboxer responded: “I'm not there, but for the press conference in the US I traveled all the way there. . I'm surprised Ryan isn't here in Japan.”
Garcia insisted he did not need to make the trip as his rival is the B-side in the fight and he will get the chance to fight a top star in boxing. “I do what I want,” Garcia said. “Be quiet, he got into the biggest fight because of me, so sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. Shut your mouth and do as you're told.”
Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo had a fiery first meeting in Los Angeles
The first press conference between Garcia and Anpo in Los Angeles was tasty and really built up anticipation for the fight. The Japanese kickboxer threw paper at his rival, who then followed him onto the stage, and their confrontation was truly intense.
“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.”
Ryan Garcia's promoter Oscar De La Hoya claims the fight is over
Last 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. 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.
Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images
“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.
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