Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo’s exhibition match at RIZIN’s Decade event on December 30 is off to a heated start, with Anpo delivering an aggressive speech and both fighters exchanging threats during a tense press conference in Los Angeles.
Things are heating up between Ryan Garcia and Rukiya Anpo.
The two are set to clash in an exhibition match at RIZIN’s Decade event on Dec. 30. Tuesday’s press conference in Los Angeles kicked things off. Usually, Garcia’s press conferences get wild, but this time, Anpo stole the show with his fiery demeanor.
After some opening remarks, Anpo stepped up with a pre-written speech. The Japanese kickboxer read it aloud before dramatically crumpling it and tossing it at Garcia, the former WBC interim lightweight champ.
“We all know Ryan Garcia’s issues,” Anpo declared. “Missing weight, alcohol… lack of professionalism, no sportsmanship, no respect. Yet he dares to call himself ‘King.’ On fight day, I’ll show him the true code of bushido. We fight for honor and legacy. I’ll bring the real Japanese samurai spirit and show him exactly where he belongs.”
“F*ck you! F*ck you!”
Anpo’s aggression seemed to catch Garcia off guard. He admitted he hadn’t been taking the event seriously.
“It’s waking me up,” Garcia confessed. “I just thought of it as a little exhibition, enjoying Japan’s festivities during New Year’s. But now it’s waking the dragon up. I’m excited to put a whooping on this dude. I’m looking to knock him out now. Before, I thought it was going to be a relaxing family event. It’s not anymore.”
As the press conference went on, Garcia and Anpo continued trading barbs. Tensions rose as they exchanged threats before facing off for the first time. Unsurprisingly, things got heated during the face-off; Garcia feigned a punch at Anpo, who retaliated with a shove.
At 26, Garcia is a former interim WBC lightweight champion and one of boxing’s most popular figures today. However, his career has had its share of turbulence outside the ring lately. He secured a majority decision over Devin Haney in April, which was overturned to a No-Contest after testing positive for Ostarine, resulting in a one-year suspension.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old Anpo is a former K-1 champion with an impressive showing against Manny Pacquiao in July during a three-round exhibition boxing match.
You can check out the tense staredown above.