Ryan Garcia drug test scandal explained: Reduced boxing ban timeline set out
Associated PressRyan Garcia’s legal team have insisted that the boxer should be given a reduced ban after his A and B samples both came back positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine, following the shock win against Devin Haney.
Haney went into the fight with Garcia on Saturday, April 20, as the clear favorite. But ‘King Ry’ stunned the world as he floored ‘The Dream’ three times during the bout, securing a majority decision win.
However, a positive test for ostarine – a PED used to build body mass and muscle – has now threatened to not only overthrow the victory, but also bring a lengthy ban for the 25-year-old.
What is Ostarine?
Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that attaches to proteins in the body to signal for muscles to grow.
It is, in essence, a substance used to build muscles and speed up the rate at which fat is burnt. It also has the added benefits of aiding recovery rates and increasing stamina levels.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has listed ostarine as a banned substance since 2008 and it was classified as an anabolic agent (steroid) by WADA in 2022.
Both Garcia and Haney were tested before the fight as they gave urine samples that were split up into A and B-samples.
Has Ryan Garcia tested positive for it?
Yes, both Garcia’s A and B samples have tested positive for Ostarine.
After the A-sample came back, a second test was done to ensure that there was no human error or contamination in the lab when the first results were issued.
(Ryan Garcia – Associated Press)The urine samples, given the day before his win over longtime rival Haney, were opened and tested on May 22, where Garcia’s attorney, Darin Chavez, was present.
Those B-samples have now also returned positive.
Garcia also originally tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone (another banned substance, categorized as an anabolic steroid), something which further testing cleared him for.
Ryan Garcia statement
“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat,” Garcia said in a video posted on X. “Never taken a steroid. … I don’t even know where to get steroids. … I barely take supplements. Big lies, I beat his a**.”
After requesting the B-samples be tested, he then took to social media again to state that the levels of Ostarine found in his A-sample had a “level so low [that it] wouldn’t have any effect.”
However, ostarine has a zero-tolerance threshold by WADA. This means that, unlike other substances, even the smallest traces of the PED will to lead a failed test.
“Ryan Garcia is committed to clean and fair competition and has never intentionally used any banned substance,” Garcia’s legal team said.
“Ryan has voluntarily submitted to tests throughout his career, which have always shown negative results.
“We are certain that one of the natural supplements Ryan was using in the lead up to the fight will prove to be contaminated and are in the process of testing the supplements to determine the exact source.”
His team believe that hair samples will prove that Garcia was the “victim” of “supplement contamination”.
Devin Haney responds
Devin Haney responded, calling the statement released by Garcia’s team into question. “Ryan & his team knew he would test positive,” Haney said on X.
”That’s why they did a BS ‘hair test’ on their own, which who really knows if they did it.”
Later, Devin’s father, Bill Haney, went live via his Instagram account to shoot down the statement. “Cheaters don’t prosper. We signed up for a fair fight and didn’t get it. He’s a cheater.”
The Haney camp is calling for the result of the match to be overturned, granting Devin the victory via disqualification and removing the lone loss from his boxing record.
Will Ryan Garcia be banned?
Garcia’s fate now rests in the hands of the New York Boxing Commission, and his team have insisted that a sanction, if any, should be a shortened one.
“The test results from samples of two supplements declared by Ryan Garcia on VADA Doping Control Forms, signed on April 19th and 20th, have returned positive for ostarine contamination,” a statement released by Paul Greene, Garcia’s legal representative, began.
“This confirms what we have consistently maintained: Ryan was a victim of supplement contamination and has never intentionally used any banned or performance-enhancing substances.
“Any claims to the contrary, questioning Ryan’s integrity as a clean fighter, are unequivocally false and defamatory.
“Throughout his career, Ryan has voluntarily submitted to numerous tests, all of which have returned negative results, underscoring his commitment to fair and clean competition.
“Additionally, multiple negative tests leading up to his fight against Haney further affirm his clean record.
“The ultra-low levels of Ostarine detected in his samples, in the billionth of a gram range, along with his clean hair sample, proves contamination rather than intentional ingestion.
“The recent test results reiterate this. A press conference will be held next week to provide more insight and answer questions.”
Later, Greene declared that they were communicating with the boxing commission and hoping to reach a compromise on Garcia’s potential sanction.
“We understand Ryan’s going to get some kind of sanction, but we feel like, given this evidence, now it should be a light sanction.”
How long could Garcia be banned for?
Former light-welterweight world champion, Amir Khan, was hit with a two-year ban from the sport after he tested positive for ostarine following his TKO defeat to Kell Brook in 2022.
(Former British boxer, Amir Khan – Associated Press)Lucian Bute, the former IBF super-middleweight champion, saw his draw with Badou Jack in 2016 changed from a draw to a DQ win for Jack after he also tested positive for ostarine.
It is unclear at this stage whether his win over Devin Haney in April 2024 will be overruled.
For all the biggest results and upcoming fights this year, check out Dexerto’s 2024 boxing schedule.