TOKYO – December 3, 2024 – A jam-packed undercard of exciting showdowns featuring both boxing and MMA stars was announced at a press conference in Japan last night ahead of a can’t-miss event presented by RIZIN and FANMIO and headlined by hard-hitting boxing superstar “King” Ryan Garcia and Japanese kickboxing sensation Rukiya Anpo meeting in an exhibition clash Monday, December 30 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (U.S. date and time) live from Tokyo, Japan.

The lineup of boxing exhibition showdowns will include sensational Floyd Mayweather protégé Curmel Moton (6-0, 5 KOs) facing hard-hitting Filipino Albert Pagara (35-1, 24 KOs) in eight rounds of junior welterweight action plus a rematch between talented prospects and longtime rivals featuring Amado Vargas (11-0, 5 KOs), son of the legendary Francisco Vargas, who again steps in against Sean Garcia (7-1-1, 2 KOs), Ryan Garcia’s younger brother, in an eight-round welterweight fight. Additional boxing undercard bouts will be announced leading up to fight night.

In addition, two professional MMA fights will be featured on the event as Tochigi, Japan’s Takakenshin (1-3, 1 KO) battles Ed Polo King (Pro Debut) from Osaka in a heavyweight tilt, while Miyagi-native Makoto Takahashi (18-3-1, 5 SUBs) faces off against Chicago’s Jose Torres (12-3-1, 4 KOs/2 SUBs) in a bout contested at a 59 kg catchweight.

The event is co-promoted by RIZIN and FANMIO, and available worldwide on FANMIO PPV, excluding Japan. End-of-year combat sports have a proud and storied history in Japan, with huge events taking place around New Year’s Eve annually. Garcia vs. Anpo will add to that much-celebrated tradition as FANMIO helps bring it to worldwide audiences with one of America’s biggest boxing stars, Garcia.

The fascinating contrast of styles in the main event will be fought at 153-pounds, with full boxing rules implemented across eight two-minute rounds in the headliner of a unique crossover event featuring both boxing and MMA that points to toe-to-toe action all night long.

The pay-per-view presentation will be available for purchase worldwide at FANMIO.com/PPV, excluding Japan. Fans can also purchase through the FANMIO App, which is available globally via smart televisions and mobile devices via Apple iOS and tvOS devices, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, Vizio Smart TV, Google TV and Chromecast.

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ABOUT GARCIA VS. ANPO

Follow the conversation leading up to this crossover boxing showdown on all social media platforms with the hashtag #GarciaAnpo and through @Rizin_PR, @FANMIO, @RyanGarcia and @Anpo_Rukiya on X (formerly Twitter) and @Rizin_PR, @FANMIO, @KingRyan and @AnpoRukiya on Instagram to stay tuned for more exciting announcements leading up to December 30. 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. (November 26, 2024):

“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

LOS ANGELES – November 26, 2024 – Hard-hitting boxing superstar “King” Ryan Garcia and Japanese kickboxing sensation Rukiya Anpo went face-to-face at a press conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday ahead of their special exhibition showdown presented by RIZIN and FANMIO taking place Monday, December 30 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (U.S. date and time) live from Tokyo, Japan.

The event is co-promoted by RIZIN and FANMIO, and available worldwide on FANMIO PPV, excluding Japan. End-of-year combat sports have a proud and storied history in Japan, with huge events taking place around New Year’s Eve annually. Garcia vs. Anpo will add to that much-celebrated tradition as FANMIO helps bring it to worldwide audiences with one of America’s biggest boxing stars, Garcia.

The fascinating contrast of styles will be fought at 153-pounds, with full boxing rules implemented across eight two-minute rounds.

The pay-per-view presentation will be available for purchase worldwide at FANMIO.com/PPV, excluding Japan. Fans can also purchase through the FANMIO App, which is available globally via smart televisions and mobile devices via Apple iOS and tvOS devices, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, Vizio Smart TV, Google TV and Chromecast.

Tuesday’s press conference saw the two combatants verbally spar throughout the proceedings, with each promising a KO victory on December 30. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Tuesday:

RYAN GARCIA

“He tried to knock out Manny Pacquiao and it pissed me off, so now I have to teach him a lesson and teach him how to box. He’s got some size and he’s real excited right now, but I’m gonna have to settle him down and knock him out. We’re gonna put a whupping on this boy.

“His energy is definitely waking me up. I was ready to enjoy the festivities but now he’s waking the dragon up. I’m definitely looking to knock him out now.

“He’s a young fighter who was trying to make a statement against a legend in Manny Pacquiao. That rubbed me the wrong way and now I’m here to show him someone in his prime with speed and power.

“I beat up a pound-for-pound champion, and you are not at that level. You’re gonna get a whupping. You’re not good, you’re just big. I’m gonna knock you out in front of the world. You may think this is Hollywood, but this is for real. You’re gonna see who the ‘King’ is.

“He’s gonna be the bigger man in that ring. We had to give him something to give him hope. We’re going to adjust and ultimately my skills are going to put me over the top. He’s training like this is a world title fight, so we can’t take this lightly.

“I went to Japan this summer to watch Manny Pacquiao and I’m excited to be going back there for this amazing event. Japan is one of the sports capitals of the world and I can’t wait to be there and meet the fans.”

RUKIYA ANPO

“Hello America! Today I have something I’d like to say directly to Ryan. We know that Ryan likes to make excuses, miss weight and lacks professionalism. He’s got no sportsmanship and no respect. Yet he dares to call himself ‘King’. On fight day I will show him that we fight for honor and legacy. I bring the real Samurai spirit and will show him exactly where he belongs.

“As a professional, you have to put on a fun and entertaining fight for the fans. I regret that I couldn’t finish Manny Pacquiao. That’s what we train to do in every fight. I have even more motivation this time and I will knock him out and finish Ryan Garcia as a professional.

“He says he doesn’t know who I am, but he will find out on fight day. I will put everything into this fight because I believe in myself and know I will win. I will announce Rukiya Anpo to the global audience.

“He’s got a world-class left hook, I’ll give him that. I’ll be aware of it and I’ll be ready for it. He’s unpolished and gets sloppy and over the course of the fight I’ll take advantage of that.

“I know how big of an opportunity this is and I know what’s at stake. But I’m not satisfied just being here. I want to show everything I can do in this fight and I won’t be satisfied until I knock him out. I want to take my name to the next level because of what I do in the ring.

“He better be grateful to me, I gave him this opportunity. I’ve fought in front of 50,000 people, he doesn’t know what he’s in for.

“I feel he’s been very disrespectful to the sport. He’s a fake ‘King’.

DERRICK JAMES, Garcia’s Trainer

“My focus is on making sure Ryan comes into the ring the best that he can be and ready to get the job done. That’s what it’s all about and that’s what we’re here to do.

“I always say that it’s not about how you view your opponent, it’s about how they view you. He obviously sees Ryan as a great threat, so he’s gonna come out and fight. We have to be prepared for that and match how hard he’s gonna train for this.”

TAKEYUKI NAKAO, Anpo’s Trainer

“My job is to make sure my fighter is prepared to have his hand raised, no matter who they’re facing. I’m making sure that Rukiya prepares well and that he’s ready to win this fight.

“We have everything perfectly prepared for this fight. We don’t know what his speed will be like until we fight, but we can take care of that with positioning and angles.”

HENRY GARCIA, Garcia’s Father

“My son has the skills to go to another level. We’re going to be really prepared for this fight and I hope that Anpo is ready, because we definitely will be.”

NOBUYUKI SAKAKIBARA, Founder & CEO of Rizin Fighting Federation

“We are very excited to announce Ryan Garcia vs. Rukiya Anpo to fight fans around the world. I believe this will be the most watched Rizin event at the end of the year because of all this star power. New Year’s Eve combat sports are a great tradition in Japan and we are so excited to be able to bring two superstars together for this fight.

“I want to thank Solomon Engel from Fanmio for being a great co-promoter. Together we are working to bring an environment so that we can bring the fight of the century to the entire world.”

SOLOMON ENGEL, CEO of Fanmio

“Ryan and Anpo is going to be a great matchup and we’re very excited about working with Rizin for this event and into the future. This is going to be a very entertaining fight. Ryan has incredible skills and Anpo is a sizeable fighter, so we think the combination is going to be electric.”

#         #         #

ABOUT GARCIA VS. ANPO

Follow the conversation leading up to this crossover boxing showdown on all social media platforms with the hashtag #GarciaAnpo and through @Rizin_PR, @FANMIO, @RyanGarcia and @Anpo_Rukiya on X (formerly Twitter) and @Rizin_PR, @FANMIO, @KingRyan and @AnpoRukiya on Instagram to stay tuned for more exciting announcements leading up to December 30. 

TOKYO – November 18, 2024 – Hard-hitting boxing superstar “King” Ryan Garcia will make a special return to the ring and bring his one-of-a-kind all-action style overseas for an end-of-year attraction as RIZIN and FANMIO present a special exhibition showdown against Japanese kickboxing sensation Rukiya Anpo on Monday, December 30 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT (U.S. date and time) live from Tokyo, Japan.

The event is co-promoted by RIZIN and FANMIO, and available worldwide on FANMIO PPV, excluding Japan. End-of-year combat sports have a proud and storied history in Japan, with huge events taking place around New Year’s Eve annually. Garcia vs. Anpo will add to that much-celebrated tradition as FANMIO helps bring it to worldwide audiences with one of America’s biggest boxing stars, Garcia.

This matchup will see Garcia go up against the biggest and strongest opponent of his career in the highly-acclaimed kickboxing champion Anpo, who announced his presence on the big stage with a sensational performance against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in a July exhibition. Now entering the squared circle once again, Anpo can cement his place in Japanese combat sports history against the internationally-recognized social media superstar Garcia, who’s always backed up the talk that made him world famous with skill and passion in the ring.

The fascinating contrast of styles will be fought at 153-pounds, with full boxing rules implemented across eight two-minute rounds.

“I’m looking forward to knocking Anpo out for trying to knock out the legend Manny Pacquiao,” said Ryan Garcia. “Manny is past his prime and for him to try to knock him out rubbed me the wrong way. I will knock him out and teach him a lesson of respect.”

“I surpass Ryan in size, speed, power, everything,” said Rukiya Anpo. “If he goes into this match feeling like a party, it’s definitely going to be a beatdown. I’m going to beat the shit out of an arrogant, cocky Ryan and show America who the real bad boy is.”

The pay-per-view presentation will begin at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will be available for purchase worldwide at FANMIO.com/PPV, excluding Japan. Fans can also purchase through the FANMIO App, which is available globally via smart televisions and mobile devices via Apple iOS and tvOS devices, Android Mobile, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, Vizio Smart TV, Google TV and Chromecast. A jam-packed lineup of exciting undercard bouts leading up to Garcia vs. Anpo will be announced in the coming weeks.

RIZIN has established themselves as a major force in Japan’s New Year’s Eve combat sports tradition by putting on mega events for the last 10 years. Now partnering with FANMIO, this year’s event will be world-class promotion and delivered to a global audience. RIZIN and FANMIO plan to collaborate on putting together large and exciting combat sporting events throughout 2025 and 2026.

“We’re incredibly excited about the future working with RIZIN, Japan’s biggest combat sports company and there’s no better way to launch our partnership than with Ryan Garcia vs Rukiya Anpo,” said Solomon Engel, FANMIO CEO. “This is definitely an intriguing fight with Ryan’s power and Anpo’s significant size advantage. We look forward to having an amazing event that everyone will enjoy on December 30. Make sure to tune in.”

“We are delighted to celebrate our 10th New Year’s Eve event by hosting this super fight,” said Nobuyuki Sakakibara, RIZIN CEO. “We’re happy to partner with Fanmio to make this event spectacular and deliver it to fans worldwide.”

Fight fans across the globe will be stunned watching these two young superstars from the US and Japan showcase their skills in an action packed boxing showdown where the results are unknown. This fight will be nothing but entertaining and expect an electrifying knockout. This is a fight you don’t want to miss.

The 26-year-old Ryan Garcia sports an outstanding record of 24-1 with 20 KOs and will compete in an exhibition for his first boxing action since his April fight against Devin Haney. A native of Victorville, California, Garcia was undefeated in his first 23 professional fights following a stellar amateur career. As he rose through the rankings, Garcia’s star exploded across social media and translated to packed venues as he became one of boxing’s true crossover stars. His lone defeat came in a 2023 mega-event against three-division champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, as their years-long rivalry culminated in the ring with an event that sold over a million pay-per-views.

A native of Himeji, Japan who was trained in karate from an early age alongside his younger brother Riku Anpo, Rukiya Anpo has risen to superstardom in Japan with his kickboxing prowess and earned himself the “Demolition Man” moniker as he’s taken out opponent after opponent. In 2019, he became a kickboxing world champion by defeating Kaew Fairtex in back-to-back fights to capture the super lightweight title. His accolades throughout his kickboxing career also include earning second place in the 2021 Welterweight Grand Prix, in addition to 2018 and 2020 Fight of the Year and 2017 KO of the Year awards. He debuted with RIZIN in 2023, fighting Buakaw Banchamek to a draw before defeating Sho Patrick Usami.

Following his boxing debut in the special exhibition against Pacquiao, Anpo will bring his experience, size advantage and the inspiration from his legions of Japanese fans into the ring as he looks to upset the heavy-handed Garcia in his opponent’s first fight outside of North America. With two all-action styles set to meet in the center of the ring, Garcia vs. Anpo promises fireworks to close out the year.

#         #         #

ABOUT GARCIA VS. ANPO

Follow the conversation leading up to this crossover boxing showdown on all social media platforms with the hashtag #GarciaAnpo and through @Rizin_PR, @FANMIO, @RyanGarcia and @Anpo_Rukiya on X (formerly Twitter) and @Rizin_PR, @FANMIO, @KingRyan and @AnpoRukiya on Instagram to stay tuned for more exciting announcements leading up to December 30.