It looks like Ryan Garcia’s recent trip to Japan was a reconnaissance mission after all. According to the disgraced boxer, who was in attendance for last Saturday’s Super Rizin 3 event which featured Manny Pacquiao in an exhibition bout, he will be fighting the former eight division champion at the end of the year.
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In a brief clip posted to social media on Wednesday, Ryan Garcia answered questions about his time in the land of the rising sun. “I’m fighting Manny Pacquiao guys, let’s get it. It’s coming soon. We’re trying to work on it,” he said.
When he was asked when the proposed bout would take place, Ryan Garcia did not specify a date and only said it was targeted for “the end of the year.” Presumably, Garcia is referring to Rizin’s traditional New Year’s Eve card.
He did confirm that it would be an exhibition match but revealed no other details.
The news should come as no surprise after Garcia entered the ring moments after Pacquaio’s exhibition boxing match with former K1 super lightweight champion Rukiya Anpo to challenge both men.
The foundation was being laid even earlier that evening when Garcia and Pacquaio posed for a face off picture that was shared via X.
Pacquiao, who hasn’t fought since a December 2022 exhibition match, looked every bit of his 45 years as the kickboxer outstruck him at range and opened a cut above his eye. The fight was ruled a draw due to a special “knockout only” amendment to the rules.
The Filipino boxing legend is reportedly contemplating a return to professional competition with his eye on the WBC welterweight title.
Ryan Garcia vs. NYSAC
A year end meeting contest would put the Californian in defiance of the New York State Athletic Commission’s ruling stemming from multiple PED test failures stemming from his fight with Devin Haney.
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In June, Garcia’s majority decision win was overturned to a no contest, and he was given a year-long suspension retroactive to April 20. However, the reach of the stateside commission doesn’t extend to Japan.
Garcia, who has made troubling headlines as of late with increasingly bizarre and antisocial behavior, is looking at this fight as an opportunity to set his personal life on the right course. “I’m trying to get more focused, stop drinking, stop doing the sh*t I’ve been doing.”
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