After Manny Pacquiao Match, Rukiya Anpo Will Next Face Ryan Garcia in RIZIN
Ryan Garcia will take part in an exhibition match on December 30 in Tokyo. He’ll face Rukiya Anpo who is a former K-1 kickboxing champion at RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve event hosted in Tokyo, Japan. The fight will be at 153 pounds and last for eight rounds, with each round being two minutes long.
Rukiya Anpo vs. Ryan Garcia
Japan’s Rukiya Anpo is an experienced kickboxer who started in martial arts with Kyokushin Karate when he was just a child and would eventually earn national titles in the sport. As a professional kickboxer, Anpo would become a world champion in K-1 and was a fan favorite due to his impressive high kick knockouts.
Earlier this year, Rukiya Anpo had an exhibition boxing match against the legendary Manny Pacquiao in RIZIN. The Japanese athlete had a size advantage and won the vast majority of this match but it was scored a draw as per the exhibition rules. On New Year’s Eve, the kickboxer will next face Ryan Garcia.
Ryan Garcia is unable to compete in official matches as he is suspended. This happened after he tested positive for a banned substance earlier this year, right before his fight against Devin Haney. That fight ended in controversy—Garcia initially won but later had the result overturned. Garcia is a controversial fighter known for spreading hate speech online. Prior to that, he was a promising young boxer with an 85% knockout win rate and a mean left hook.
“I’m looking forward to knocking Anpo out for trying to knock out the legend Manny Pacquiao,” Ryan Garcia explained, “Manny is past his prime, and for him to try to knock him out rubbed me the wrong way. I will knock him out and teach [Anpo] a lesson of respect.”
