Ryan To RIZIN?

If Ryan Garcia thinks the NYSAC is going to be okay with him competing in an exhibition bout while under suspension, he’s in for a rude awakening.

So much for retirement, or rehab.

Troubled boxer Ryan Garcia was recently suspended for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission after failing a drug test for Ostarine. But that may not stop the 25 year old from trying to compete later this year in Japan.

While nothing is locked in, reports have Garcia receiving permission from Golden Boy to fight in an exhibition boxing match for Japanese promotion RIZIN on their big New Year’s Eve card. This wouldn’t be outside of the realm of possibility for RIZIN: Floyd Mayweather has fought exhibition matches for them in 2018 and 2022, and Manny Pacquiao is set to fight Chihiro Suzuki at Super RIZIN 3 on July 28.

Keep your eye on Super RIZIN 3, as RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara has suggested Ryan Garcia may be in attendance. That would certainly add a lot more smoke to this report of a potential New Year’s Eve fight.

Standing in the way of Garcia and a decent payday is the NYSAC suspension, which runs until April 20th. Suspensions meted out by legit commissions are generally upheld by other commissions around the world. And while Japan is one of the few places where commission oversight is patchy, Garcia would undoubtedly draw the ire of the NYSAC if he’s seen trying to compete while under suspension, even if it is ‘just an exhibition.’

Fighting under suspension just seems like a bad idea, which is probably why it seems like something Ryan Garcia might actually do.

Recent Garcia incidents include a troubling video where he is accused of breaking into his ex-wife’s home, and a racist rant which got him ejected from the WBC. The bad publicity pushed Garcia to claim he was going into rehab, but that may have just been a smokescreen to distract the press from his bizarre behavior.