Ryan Garcia was scheduled to face Rukiya Anpo in a boxing exhibition in late December in Tokyo. The outing was set to mark his first ring appearance, after he had dominated Devin Haney in a June bout in Brooklyn that was later declared a No Contest due to a failed drug test.
Garcia’s previous victory dates back to a year ago, when he battled Oscar Duarte in Houston in December 2023. The contest marked the 26-year-old’s return to the ring after suffering his first career defeat against Gervonta Davis in April of the same year.
The scheduled 12-round contest didn’t go the full distance. Ryan Garcia claimed the win by knockout, tagging and dominating his Mexican opponent with a flurry of punches. Prior to that, Oscar Duarte was predominantly on the front foot, forcing the representative of the country-host to move.
Duarte tried to beat the eight count and got back on his feet, but referee James Green waved the fight off at 2 minutes and 51 seconds into the eighth round. At the time of the stoppage, the scores were 69-64, 68-65, and 68-65, in favor of the Victorville, California native.
The exhibition match between Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo has been postponed to 2025.