Former interim WBC lightweight champion Ryan Garcia is heavily favored in his upcoming exhibition fight against Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo. However, that seems to have become even more apparent to fans, as a clip of the Victorville native shadow boxing has made its way onto social media. 

The pair will lock horns on December 30th in Tokyo, as part of RIZIN’s year-end show. This comes after Garcia was suspended from boxing for a year after testing positive for Ostarine during his fight against former WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney. Even though it was a bit of a surprise to see Garcia fight before his suspension gets lifted in April next year, his fans seem eager to see him back in action. 

Ryan Garcia shows speed after press conference debacle

Garcia and Anpo faced off in November at their launch press conference in Los Angeles, an event that was charged with tension. However, their second presser in Tokyo on Tuesday took an unexpected turn. Neither fighter appeared in person, with Garcia opting for a video call instead.

RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibar had to address the situation, explaining, “I’m not too thrilled to be making this statement, but we were supposed to have Anpo here today. Unfortunately, he overslept and missed his flight.” When Anpo eventually joined the press conference via video, he voiced his frustration, noting that he had traveled all the way to Los Angeles for the presser, while Garcia had not reciprocated.

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Regardless, earlier today, Henry Garcia, Ryan’s father, shared a clip of the 26-year-old boxer on Instagram. The post featured a caption that read, “Rare footage of KingRyan shadowboxing,” followed by, “Here he is, using the speed he’s known for. Outside in the cold, preparing for his upcoming exhibition fight in Japan. Let’s go!”

The post quickly drew attention, with fans flocking to the comments to share their thoughts on the highly anticipated bout.

Rare footage claims disputed

The Victorville native is one of the most popular boxers in the scene, so it didn’t take long for people to flock to the post. One user warned the Japanese kickboxer about Garcia’s abilities in the ring. “Rukiya isn’t prepared, I swear Ryan is going to make him regret this fight,” the user wrote. However, in July, Anpo faced boxing’s only eight-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, and pushed the legend to his limits. Since it was an exhibition with no knockouts, the bout was ruled a draw.

Another user had issues with Henry Garcia calling the clip rare. “Rare footage 😂 he shadow boxing all the time,” the user wrote. Notably, the internet is filled with years of training and shadowboxing footage of Ryan Garcia. Henry’s latest post is most likely a way to promote Garcia’s upcoming bout. 

The next user shared their prediction for the exhibition bout. “Inshallah, Ryan will win this match,” the user wrote. Given that Garcia is in the prime of his career and Anpo lacks the same strong boxing background, the fight shouldn’t pose much difficulty for Garcia.

Meanwhile, this user predicted that the fight could be the best of 2024. “It could be the best fight of the year 🔥,” the user wrote. However, the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury fight in May or Garcia’s own April fight against Devin Haney stand more of a chance for being fight of the year. 

Someone else seemed worried about Garcia’s weight. “Bro looks huge are we hittting wieght tho hows the roll and slip and headmovement with more wieght if he put on muscle that is,” the user wrote. Since it’s an exhibition fight, Garcia’s weight doesn’t have that much of an importance because there’s no sanctioning body involved. 

That said, it seems fans have already made up their minds about Ryan Garcia winning the upcoming exhibition in Tokyo. For his sake, he’ll need to secure a dominant win—otherwise, his surprising victory over Devin Haney—though later overturned to a no-contest—won’t carry much significance. Who do you think will take the win?