Tony Bellew has not held back with his views on the huge punishment that should be dealt out to Ryan Garcia in light of his recent two failed drug tests.
Bellew has always been outspoken when it comes to those prove to have taken drugs. He’s a keen boxing historian and hardcore fan of the sport who has no time for cheats.
Garcia is the latest to be accused of having failed a test both before and after his recent world title fight with Haney. He won the contest against the odds and floored the former undisputed lightweight champion three times on his way to a points victory, but was ineligible to lift the WBC world title because he failed to make the sanctioned weight for the fight.
It came after a tumultuous build-up in which Garcia displayed plenty of worrying signs of mental health problems, but afterwards, he claimed that was all a rouse and that he ‘trolled’ the world with his actions. Now he is embroiled in more scandal which has left many people disappointed that he may have undone all the good work he did in the ring.
Speaking to Boyle Sports, he has stated that he thinks Garcia and anyone else caught should be given a lifetime ban.
“I always believe that any fighter failing because of performance enhancing drugs deserves a lifetime ban. This is not a nasal spray, it’s a performance drug, this is a steroid. It’s dangerous.
“Steroid abuse and performance drugs, I’m harsh, he [Ryan Garcia]] should be banned for life. Whether you’re my mate or not, if you fail for performance-enhancing drugs, you should be banned for life. People will say ‘well you backed Conor Benn’ – was Conor Benn trying to get pregnant?”
Garcia for his part has denied all the charges and said that he would have gained no advantage from taking the banned substance Ostarine.
He was also initial thought to have taken he banned PED 19-Norandrosterone, although further testing from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency confirmed it was not found in his urine. Garcia has readily admitted to smoking weed and drinking during the build-up to his fight with Haney, shedding further shade over his performance.
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