Ryan Garcia pulled off a huge upset last month when he defeated Devin Haney, but it appears that victory has been hugely tainted after it was revealed that ‘King Ry’ has failed a drugs test in the aftermath of the bout.
Garcia defeated Haney by majority decision in New York to hand ‘The Dream’ the first defeat of his professional career, but he was ineligible to win the WBC super-lightweight title after coming in three pounds overweight.
The missed weight now seems to be the least of Garcia’s problems, after ESPN reported they had obtained a letter that shows he has tested positive for Ostarine the day before, and the day of his victory.
‘King Ry’ now has 10 days to request his B sample, but has released a video denying that he has ever taken any performance enhancing drugs.
“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat. Never taken a steroid. I don’t even know where to get steroids. I barely take supplements. Big lies, I beat his ass.”
Haney has also released a statement discussing the failed test, where he condemns Garcia for testing positive.
“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.
“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.”
Ostarine has been used before in boxing, with Lucian Bute testing positive for the banned substance in 2016 following his draw with Badou Jack for the WBC super middleweight title fight. The result was then changed to a disqualification win for Jack.
Amir Khan was also handed a two-year ban by UK Anti-Doping after he tested positive for the drug after his sixth round stoppage loss to Kell Brook in February 2022.
The failed test by Garcia is a shocking blow for boxing after he sent shockwaves through the sport with his win over Haney, with an outcome on the matter expected over the coming weeks.
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