Following news that Ryan Garcia had tested positive for a prohibited drug, Devin Haney released a statement ending his quiet.
According to a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) letter provided to both parties, Ryan Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing anabolic agent Ostarine on the day before and the day after his unexpected victory over Devin Haney last month in New York City.
The news of Garcia’s failed drug tests, which, if verified, would probably lead to a suspension and the result being overturned to a no-contest, was first broken by ESPN.
Garcia has ten days to ask for a test of his B-sample. Carbon isotope ratio testing is being used to establish the presence of 19-norandrosterone, which Garcia’s A-sample apparently tested positive for as well.
Ostarine, an anabolic substance that is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2024 Prohibited List, is thought to be a safer substitute for steroids.
In a video uploaded to X on Wednesday night, Garcia angrily denied consuming any illicit substances.
“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat,” Garcia said. “I’ve never taken a steroid in my life. I don’t even know where to get steroids, at the end of the day. I barely take supplements … Big lies, I beat his ass.”
In a stunning upset on April 20, the 25-year-old Garcia stopped Haney three times and handed the WBC super lightweight champion his first loss of his career.
Due to Garcia’s weight of 143.2 pounds, which was 3.2 pounds over the division limit, the planned 12-round fight at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center was reclassified as a non-title fight. This meant that Garcia could no longer win Haney’s title, only his spotless professional record.
What are Haney’s thoughts on this?
“We learned about this situation not too long ago and it’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice,” Haney said in a statement to ESPN.
“Ryan owes the fans an apology, and by his recent tweet he still thinks this is a joke. We put our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. You don’t play boxing. This puts the fight in a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got back up! People die in this sport. This isn’t a joking matter.”
Since 2008, Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator, has been prohibited by Wada. Amir Khan was found guilty of having it in his system the night of his 2022 fight with Kell Brook, and as a result, he was banned from all sports for two years.
