Oscar De La Hoya tried to warn us.
Boxing bad boy Ryan Garcia has withdrawn from his previously scheduled showdown against Japanese kickboxing champion Rukiya Anpo, which was supposed to take place as part of the RIZIN New Year’s Eve combat sports extravaganza in Tokyo.
A supposed wrist injury is to blame.
“I saw Mr. Ryan Garcia on Dec. 12 for recently aggravated bilateral wrist pain,” Dr. Steven Shin of Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles wrote on the official press release. “I recommend that he hold off on sparring and boxing matches for several weeks. Treatment options will be discussed with Mr. Garcia after further evaluation.”
The bout is expected to be rebooked for 2025.
“I’ve been eagerly preparing for my upcoming exhibition fight in Japan, training hard in Dallas over the past several weeks,” Garcia added. “Unfortunately, I sustained a hand injury during training and returned to Los Angeles to be seen by the doctor, who has advised me to postpone my Dec. 30 exhibition. No one is more disappointed than I am.”
As a result, Anpo will also be removed from the RIZIN 49 card. The 29 year-old “Demolition Man” has not competed since battling aging pugilist Manny Pacquiao in a special rules contest at the Super Rizin 3 event last June.
“I have been told that Ryan is out due to an injury,” Anpo said. “I am disappointed to say the least, but knocking out an injured opponent won’t mean anything, so I wish him a speedy recovery and hope I can face the 100-percent version of Ryan Garcia. Get well soon and I’ll let you kiss my fist any time!”
Garcia, 26, is coming off his disastrous bout against Devin Haney back in April, which he initially won but then settled for a “No Contest” after bombing his post-fight drug test. That’s on top of all the other shenanigans that took place prior to the contest.
RIZIN 49: “Decade” will be headlined by the featherweight title fight pitting Chihiro Suzuki against Kleber Koike Erbst.