Boxer Ryan Garcia tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine the day before and the day of his upset victory over Devin Haney, according to a letter obtained by ESPN.
The stellar boxer Ryan Garcia tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Ostarine the day before and on the day of his upset victory over Devin Haney last monthaccording to a letter from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association sent to all parties on Wednesday and obtained by ESPN.
The samples were taken before the fight, but the results were not known until later.
García has 10 days to request that his B sample be analyzed. García’s sample A also tested positive for 19-norandrosteronebut its presence is not confirmed at this time.
“Everyone knows I don’t cheat,” Garcia said in a video posted on x. “I’ve never taken a steroid… I don’t even know where to get steroids… I barely take any supplements. Big lies,” I slapped his ass.
Golden Boy Promotions of Oscar de la hoya said in a statement that they are working with García’s team to “determine how this finding was reached.”
“Ryan has issued multiple statements denying conscious use of banned substances, and we believe him,” Golden Boy said in its statement.
Garcia, 25, knocked down Haney three times during the majority decision victory, but that result can now be overturned unless the B sample returns a negative result, which is rare.
“We became aware of this situation not long ago and it is unfortunate that Ryan has misled and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and testing positive not once, but twice,” Haney said in a statement to ESPN. .
“…Ryan owes the fans an apology, and from his recent tweet he still thinks this is a joke. We risk our lives to entertain people for a living. Boxing is not played. This puts the fight on a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got up. People die in this sport!
Garcia also lost weight before the fight, checking in at 143.2 pounds for the WBC 140-pound title fight. Haney, 25, remained the junior welterweight champion even in defeat.
“Safety, fairness and integrity in professional athletic competition are essential,” said the New York State Athletic Commission in a statement to ESPN. “The Commission is in communication with VADA and is reviewing the matter.”
Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator that binds to proteins in the body and effectively tells muscles to grow. It is used to improve performance by helping athletes build muscle mass and improve their rate of fat loss and also to increase staining and recovery ability.
It is on the list of prohibited substances of the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2008 and in 2022 it was classified as an anabolic agent by the LOVE.
Ostarine has been used before in boxing. Lucian Bute tested positive in 2016 after a tie with Badou Jack in his fight for WBC super middleweight title. The result was changed to a win by disqualification for Jack.
Amir Khan received a two-year suspension by the United Kingdom Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) after he tested positive for Ostarine following his sixth-round TKO loss to Kell Brook in 2022.
