Ryan Garcia has injured his wrist in training camp, temporarily postponing his exhibition showdown against Japanese kickboxing champion Rukiya Anpo that was set to take place on Monday, December 30th in Tokyo. The event will be rescheduled for a date in early 2025. “I saw Mr. Ryan Garcia on December 12th for recently aggravated bilateral wrist pain,” explained Dr. Steven Shin of Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics in Los Angeles. “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.”

 

“I’ve been eagerly preparing for my upcoming exhibition fight in Japan, training hard in Dallas over the past several weeks,” said the disappointed Garcia. “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 December 30 exhibition.”

 

Garcia says he does not expect the injury to prevent his eventual showdown with Anpo, who has traded increasingly nasty public barbs with Garcia throughout the past month. “This is only a temporary setback, and I sincerely apologize to my fans, [promoters] Fanmio and Rizin and Anpo for the delay,” added Garcia. “No one is more disappointed than I am. Thank you for being so supportive.”

 

Fanmio CEO Solomon Engel says he understands that superstar Garcia must put his overall health above anything else and that he looks forward to Garcia’s return. “It’s unfortunate what happened to Ryan, and we wish him good health and a speedy recovery,” said Engel. “We look forward to announcing a new date for this exciting event very soon.”

 

“I have been told that Ryan is out due to an injury,” said Rukiya Anpo. “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% version of Ryan Garcia. Get well soon and I’ll let you kiss my fist any time!”

 

“It’s unfortunate to announce that Ryan vs. Anpo will be postponed due Ryan’s injury which occurred during training,” said Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara. “I would like to apologize to all the fans who were looking forward to this fight on New Year’s, but we will be announcing a new date very soon in which both fighters will be able to meet at their best health and condition. We truly appreciate everybody’s understanding.”

 

Stay tuned for an announcement on the rescheduled date.