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Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider
Boxing superstar Ryan Garcia suffered a wrist injury and his boxing exhibition against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo on Dec. 30 in Tokyo has been postponed, it was announced Sunday.
The exhibition — to be contested at 153 pounds over eight rounds at two-minutes each — will be rescheduled for a date in early 2025.
“I’ve been eagerly preparing for my upcoming exhibition fight in Japan, training hard in Dallas over the past several weeks,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, I sustained a hand injury during training and returned to Los Angeles to be seen by the doctor.”
Dr. Steven Shin of Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics examined Garcia in Los Angeles on Dec. 12 for “aggravated bilateral wrist pain” and recommended the fighter cease sparring and postpone the exhibition.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) remains under suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission and unable to fight in a sanctioned bout until April after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug ahead of last April’s fight with Devin Haney.
The 26-year-old Garcia floored Haney three times en route to an upset majority-decision victory that was later overturned to a no contest.
Garcia was in Tokyo in July for Anpo’s exhibition with Manny Pacquiao, setting the stage for his ring return, albeit for an unsanctioned bout.
Japan’s Anpo (27-8-1, 14 KOs) is a former kicking boxing champion who is 29 years old.