Ryan Garcia has become infamous for his pre- and post-fight antics, but his upcoming opponent might have him beat this time around.
Ahead of a Dec. 30 exhibition boxing bout scheduled for RIZIN’s year-end show, Garcia and opponent Rukiya Anpo were scheduled for a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday. The two had a tense faceoff in Los Angeles in November, but there would be no repeat of those fireworks on the Japanese leg of the tour, with neither fighter showing up in person for it.
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara and Fanmio CEO Solomon Engel were in attendance, with Garcia later calling in via video feed. Anpo was supposed to be present and it was left to Sakakibara to explain his absence.
“So I’m not too thrilled to make this my first statement, but today we were supposed to have Anpo here but he overslept and missed his flight,” Sakakibara said via a Japanese translator. “He is on his way here, we’re going to call him later to see where he’s at, but he is on his way to Tokyo as far as I hear. It’s a great press conference that we have scheduled, the United States and Japan, everybody’s here but the fighter.
“It’s kind of awkward. We’ll see what he has to do. I’m actually impressed with his audacity, but it makes the fight a lot more interesting as of now.”
When Anpo later called in, he expressed his annoyance that he put in the effort to travel to Los Angeles, but Garcia did not do the same for the Tokyo press conference.
“To be completely honest, I’m not there, but for the press conference in the United States, I traveled all the way to the U.S. and I’m blown away that Ryan’s not here in Japan,” Anpo said via a Japanese translator. “I may not be at the presser, but at least I’m in Japan.”
Engel was on hand as the co-promoter for the event and though he and Sakakibara worked together to announce other fights on the card, he wasn’t pleased with the situation.
“Tell Anpo I flew all the way from the United States for this press conference,” Engel said. “He should have been here.”
Anpo went on to explain that he deliberately chose to stay in bed as he felt disrespected by Garcia.
“I heard that Ryan might not show up to Tokyo and I felt kind of offended that I would have to be doing all this work over here in Japan,” Anpo said. “I woke up this morning with that mindset, it kind of pissed me off, so I went back to sleep and here we are. But I promise you, Solomon, that the fight I will 100 percent deliver. I will be there and deliver.”
Garcia and Anpo took questions from the media, using the opportunity to take verbal shots at one another.
“It just sucks that he’s B-side,” Garcia said. “It sucks to not be the No. 1 guy, I feel for him, but that’s just what happens,” Garcia said. “He’s fighting one of the top superstars in the world, so I do what I want. You’ve got to sit back and relax and enjoy the ride, that’s it.”
“I don’t care who’s A-side or B-side, you’re not professional, you don’t make weight,” Anpo fired back, adding he thinks Garcia is a “fake king,” an insult spinning off of Garcia’s “King Ryan” nickname.
Garcia made no apologies for not making the flight to Tokyo, telling Anpo to know his place.
“Like I said, I do what I want,” Garcia said. “At the end of the day, this show is going on because of me. ... Again, shut up and just do what you’re told, brother, that’s it. You’re going to get a whooping for real come December 30 and I’ve got a lot of tension built up through all my time off, so I’m going to take it out on you.”
Garcia has not competed since a fight with Devin Haney this past April. The original result was a majority decision win for Garcia, but the bout was shrouded in controversy, with Garcia coming in over three pounds heavy for the contest and then later failing a drug test that caused the result to be overturned to a no-contest. Garcia received a one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission as part of a settlement.
The suspension only applies to contests in the U.S., hence Garcia booking a bout with Anpo for RIZIN’s show in Tokyo. However, the matchup is not without its hurdles.
Golden Boy Promotions boss Oscar De La Hoya recently stated he has not signed off on the bout for Garcia, who is currently under signed to a Golden Boy contract. No official announcement has been made on the status of the event, but Sakakibara assured reporters that Garcia and Anpo will meet in the ring on Dec. 30.
“Please don’t be worried,” Sakakibara said. “This fight will happen, we don’t see a reason why this fight is not going to happen. Obviously, this is a new challenge between all parties. I’m sure there are a lot of moving parts and there are a lot of misunderstandings, but we are very confident that this fight is going to happen, so don’t worry about that. We’ve just got to make sure that we communicate well and make sure that everybody’s on the same page.
“We have no intentions of bumping heads with everybody and the contract is signed, there is an agreement. If there was no agreement, we would never do any kind of presser like that, so for all of you who are doubting this event in jeopardy, that’s not the case.”
