SEATTLE - Less than two weeks after Ryan García's upset win against Devin Haney, reports have surfaced that the Mexican-American tested positive for using the performance-enhancing drugs.
Dan Rafael, one of the most respected journalists in the world of boxing, first reported of García's failed test, claiming that the result was related to the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine. ESPN's Mike Coppinger then reported that, according to a letter obtained from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, García tested positive for the substance Ostarine the day before and the day of his fight against Haney.
Ryan Garcia tested positive for the PED Ostarine the day before and the day of his upset win over Devin Haney, per a VADA letter obtained by ESPN. Garcia has 10 days to request his B-sample be tested. A-sample also screened positive for 19-norandrosterone but unconfirmed.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) May 2, 2024
If he is to disprove the claims made by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, García has 10 days to request that his B-sample be tested after his A-sample also screened positive for 19-norandrosterone.
In a video posted on his X profile, García said he is innocent, that "he's never taken a steroid and that "everybody knows that I don't cheat."
Fake news like if I was Donald trump pic.twitter.com/PVg5EW7yLd
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) May 2, 2024
García's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, also released a statement to the media saying that Golden Boy Promotions is working with García's team to determine how "this finding came to be."
But despite García's claims, there's some major doubts in the air after he also failed to meet the weight ahead of the bout with Haney. García was three pounds over the contractual 140-pound limit, which ended up costing him $1.5 million and a shot at the WBC super lightweight title.
The drug Ostarine has been on WADA's banned list since 2008 and has been used in boxing before. Prior to García's failed test, Amir Khan was the latest high-profile boxer accused of using the performance-enhancing drug after he tested positive after his fight with Kell Brook in 2022. Khan was banned for two years by the UK Anti-Doping for the use of Ostarine.
García's commitment to boxing has been on the spotlight for a while due to his erratic conduct. The 25-year-old spent the months prior to the fight taking on social media with multiple conspiracy theories, even one that involved aliens. He also claimed to drink alcohol regularly which he then admitted to be true after he defeated Haney.
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