Ryan Garcia Wom Over Haney but His Victory Tainted by Positive Drug Tests
Ryan Garcia won an upsetting victory over Devin Haney on April 20 but that incredible win is now under fire after the 25-year-old boxer tested positive for a banned substance in pre-fight and post-fight drug tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Veteran boxing reporter Dan Rafael broke the news on Wednesday, revealing that Garcia’s urine samples contained ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) prohibited by anti-doping regulations. Ostarine has been linked to numerous past cases of tainted supplements.
Ryan Garcia emphatically denied using performance-enhancing drugs in a series of expletive-laden posts on X Spaces, calling the news “fake f*cking news” and claiming he has “never f*cking taken a steroid in my f*cking life.” He questioned the timing of the announcement, suggesting it was a deliberate attempt to discredit his win.
Fake news like if I was Donald trump pic.twitter.com/PVg5EW7yLd
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024
Despite his vehement denials, Garcia faces potential consequences. He has 10 days to request a test of his B samples. If the B samples confirm the initial results, Garcia could be fined, suspended, or even see his victory overturned into a no-contest.
Further clouding the issue, Garcia’s pre-fight sample also “screened positive but was not confirmed” for another banned substance, 19-Norandrosterone. This result awaits further analysis.
This development casts a dark shadow over Garcia’s impressive win, where he knocked down the WBC champion Haney three times en route to a majority decision. The boxing world awaits the results of the B sample tests and any potential actions taken by VADA or boxing commission.
Here’s all reactions from Ryan Garcia on his account X:
Hmm I’m seen with trump
And now I’m positive for steroids
This is a straight attack
Crazy
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024
They are trying to take my greatest victory away kinda sad when you think about it
I DONT CARE I LOVE GOD AND HE WILL MAKE THIS RIGHT
I love you Jesus ✝️💙
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024
Why in the world would I volunteer for a drug test if I planned on taking drugs?
Make it make sense???
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024
IM ON THE JESUS STEROID
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024