Ryan Garcia and promoters hit with lawsuit by streaming platform ahead of Rolly Romero fight after withdrawing from exhibition fight in Japan

Ryan Garcia and his promoters have been hit with a lawsuit from a streaming platform after previously pulling out of an exhibition fight in Japan. The former interim WBC lightweight champion was set to face Japanese kickboxer Rukiya Anpo in a 153-pound boxing match on Dec. 30 in Tokyo.

However, only two weeks before the scheduled bout, a wrist injury sidelined him, leading to the fight's postponement.

On Thursday, Fanmio filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in California after 'KingRy' withdrew from the exhibition bout and later scheduled a high-profile contest against Rolly Romero on May 2, set to be the main event of a historic fight night at Times Square in Manhattan, New York City.

The lawsuit contends that the American boxing superstar withdrew from the fight in Japan after his representatives at Golden Boy Promotions allegedly asserted that his contract barred him from fighting for another promotion.

According to a report by MMA Fighting, the streaming platform asserts in its legal filings that Oscar De La Hoya’s boxing promotion unfairly leveraged its contractual control over Garcia to prevent the fight from happening. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Golden Boy Promotions demanded an exorbitant sum to approve the bout to proceed, only for it to be canceled.

The lawsuit demands compensation from both Garcia and Golden Boy Promotions over allegations of breach of contract, unjust enrichment, tortious interference, fraudulent inducement, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, and other purported violations.

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When did Ryan Garcia last compete?

Ryan Garcia was last seen in action in April 2024, scoring three knockdowns on his way to a majority decision victory over Devin Haney. However, his triumph was overshadowed by a failed drug test for the banned substance, Ostarine.

As a consequence of his violation, 'KingRy' accepted a one-year suspension after reaching a settlement with the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) in June. This agreement led to his victory over Haney being overturned to a no-contest.

Furthermore, Garcia was ordered to forfeit his disclosed fight purse of approximately $1.2 million and was slapped with a $10,000 fine imposed by the commission.

Garcia was originally set to challenge Haney for his WBC super lightweight title. However, despite handing 'The Dream' his first professional loss, Haney retained his championship since Garcia missed weight by 3.2 pounds, exceeding the 140-pound limit and making himself ineligible to win the belt.