On Monday, boxing superstar Ryan Garcia posted on social media that he would return to the sport in January 2025 in Dubai. However, this isn’t a professional bout but an apparent exhibition fight against an unheralded French lightweight named Jaber Zayani.
Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) plans his future in the sport despite being in the middle of a one-year ban for a doping offense. In June, the NYSAC handed down that penalty after Garcia tested positive for ostarine in the wake of a 12-round majority decision win over Devin Haney in April.
While he’s always maintained his innocence, Garcia insists that he accepted the ruling so that he could move on with his career. The Haney result was changed to a no-contest, but despite losing his only career-defining triumph, Garcia remains a huge attraction.
The Sporting News takes a deep dive into the credentials of the next opponent with whom Garcia plans to punch swap.
Who is Jaber Zayani?
Great question!
Zayani (18-0, 11 KOs) is a 34-year-old French lightweight with limited credentials in the sport.
He turned professional in 2012 and outside of nine appearances at home, he’s competed in Canada, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, and the U.S. Only two of his opponents have had winning records.
As well as navigating his way through the sport in relative obscurity, Zayani has also been very inactive. He’s had two fights in five years against journeyman-level opposition and is unranked by all four governing bodies.
On the plus side, Zayani appears to be very popular on social media. He has 161K followers on Instagram and can be seen hobnobbing with the likes of former champions Prince Naseem Hamed and Manny Pacquiao on his official page.
According to fledgling boxing outfit EMD Fight Night, Zayanai is scheduled to appear on a card on November 9 in Dubai.
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