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Mere hours after the press conference launch for Ryan Garcia’s Dec. 30 exhibition match in Toyko with Rukiya Anpo, Garcia’s promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, has thrown the event into doubt.
In a statement posted Tuesday night to social media, Oscar De La Hoya wrote:
“Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event (Garcia vs. Anpo) have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan Garcia.”
Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan…
— Oscar De La Hoya (@OscarDeLaHoya) November 27, 2024
Garcia’s exhibition with Anpo is being staged by Japanese combat sports promotion RIZIN and Fanmio rather than the boxer’s promoter and promotional network, Golden Boy and DAZN.
If Golden Boy’s protests prove valid, Garcia vs. Anpo could still occur on Dec. 30 if the organizers and Garcia can work out a deal with Golden Boy that would likely involve the promoters receiving a step-aside fee.
The controversial American star boxer was not impressed with his promoters’ statement and indirectly responded to it Tuesday on social media with a facepalm emoji.
Garcia cannot take part in a professional boxing contest until April 2025 as a result of his one-year suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission for testing positive for ostarine in a pre-fight VADA test in the lead-up to his April 20 bout with Devin Haney.
Garcia, 26, instead agreed on an exhibition boxing match — which does not count as a pro boxing contest — with kickboxer Anpo to stay active and enter the ring before the end of 2024.
The relationship between Garcia and Golden Boy was said to have been in a good place, according to Garcia on Tuesday’s episode of “The Ariel Helwani Show.” But it hasn’t always been that way.
In 2023, Garcia’s legal team sent Golden Boy a letter asserting that their contract was invalidated due to violations of their promotional agreement by De La Hoya’s company. Golden Boy responded by suing Garcia in Nevada to enforce its contract. Months later, at the pre-fight press conference for his bout against Oscar Duarte, Garcia publicly ripped into his promoters, De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins of Golden Boy, while they were standing directly behind him.
Should Golden Boy choose to stand in the way of Garcia’s planned exhibition, it could once again sour the relationship between Golden Boy and its biggest star.