Boxer Ryan Garcia is at the center of another controversy after multiple reports have indicated that he tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Ostarine prior to and on the day of his win over Devin Haney in April at Barclays Center.
The tests were taken by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association before the fight, but the results weren’t known until later, ESPN reported.
Garcia can request his B-sample be tested within 10 days, but the revelation from the test throws his majority decision victory over Haney into question.
Additionally, Garcia’s A-sample tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone, but that is unconfirmed until more analysis is done, per ESPN.
Garcia quickly took to social media to deny that he used any banned substances, calling the claims “bull f–king s–t.”
“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat,” Garcia said in a video he posted on X. “What can I say? Why didn’t they come out with this before the fight if they found it before? Why would they let me step in the ring as a cheater and then come out with a victory and then they post this?
“Again, these are people trying to attack me for whatever reason, but no weapon against me shall prosper. I never taken a steroid in my life. I don’t even know where to get a steroid at the end of the day.”
Garcia also called the accusation “big lies” and that he “beat his ass” referring to Haney.
Ostarine is defined by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as the “trademarked name for a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) that is not approved for human use or consumption in the U.S., or in any other country.”
It helps build muscle mass and enhance an athlete’s rate of fat loss.
Ostarine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances since 2008 and was named an anabolic agent in 2022.
Garcia knocked down Haney during his win on April 20 in Brooklyn.
The fight was supposed to be for the WBC super lightweight title, but Garcia came in three pounds overweight at weigh-ins before the bout.
“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 told ESPN in a statement.
“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.”
