Ryan Garcia’s Stability: An In-depth Look at PEDs, Weight Loss, and Boxing Fandom

It turns out that Garcia has reached a settlement with the New York State Athletic Commission regarding his recent failed drug test. For anyone interested in the facts, the correction is one-sided.

Not only will the results of his fight with Haney be officially changed to a no-contest, but Garcia will forfeit $1.1 million of his purse, pay a $10,000 fine, and be banned from the sport for one year. Garcia brought back two good samples of the banned substance Ostarine, which can be used to improve muscle mass, even in cases where a person is losing weight, such as before a fight.

Additionally, Ostarine must be used in the same cycles as similar anabolic drugs. This is important because one of the main arguments from Garcia’s supporters, even his camp, is that there was a small amount of the drug found in his system, therefore, he must have been a victim of abuse. Finding evidence of PED use in such small amounts is rare, as one of the main reasons elite athletes are caught is because they simply time their cycle incorrectly. They believe their system will clear any evidence of wrongdoing and send the sample with confidence.

Another common, and frankly, confusing defense that Garcia fans will use is that neither Ostarine nor the extra weight has resulted in Haney being caught with multiple left hooks. No one can argue that Haney has been caught with a lot of left hooks, and Garcia is known for his left hook. But now we have to ask whether they came to such a cruel result because of his pure natural ability or his natural ability in addition to the extra weight and body mass gained by using the banned substance. This is not difficult. A professional boxer with extra body weight who has not gone through the rigors of cutting weight has a clear advantage over a competitor who has not used banned substances and has cut weight.

To say that a negative advantage in body weight and weight does not translate in any way to performance in a competition where two people are throwing limbs at each other is disrespectful or sadly ignorant. If so, why not eliminate weight classes altogether? Why not let all our performance enhancing drugs go while we’re at it and see what Inoue can do against Canelo? The answer is that these things matter, and the long-term well-being of the fighters is on the line.

Just imagine that when Antonio Margarito was caught loading his gloves, and people were thinking about his victory over Miguel Cotto, a group of boxing fans would come out and say, “The plaster on his gloves is not the reason he went down like that.” more punches to Cotto.” While technically true, having a decidedly negative advantage in dealing damage per punch meant that Cotto was being taken down faster than anyone expected. It means that as his face swelled up and blood started pouring out, it was difficult for him to see the punches coming, and it means that in the end, Margarito’s victory was meaningless.

Another factor to consider is that having a negative weight advantage, especially when the extra weight is muscle mass, gives the fighter a boost in their ability to land punches. One would be hard pressed to find a consensus that Haney is a power puncher. But he usually has enough sting to keep opponents honest. When the lack of fire from Haney was attributed to the fact that Garcia was overweight and strengthened by an anabolic agent, Haney did not have the opportunity to put him in the cage, thus allowing Garcia to rip the hooks without fear of being. damaged by return fire.

Unsurprisingly, Garcia’s claims of abuse seem to have fallen on deaf ears on both sides, but perhaps more surprisingly, this is because his supporters jumped right over this possibility to defend PED use and weight-loss abuse. Garcia also said that he did not know that he had eaten this substance, but let’s not forget that this is a man who has been completely crazy for a year. However, there have been initial voices of support for this claim. It begs the question: is there such a thing as an unreliable narrator in the eyes of Garcia’s fans? Does truth matter?

Finally, this speaks volumes for the current state of boxing’s popularity as a whole. This is a game that is quickly consumed by the words of people who call it all the loss of a fighter who supported the bull. They are people who believe that you have to drag down one fighter’s success to improve another fighter. They are people who believe they know the whole story of the war because they watched the thirty-second highlight reel. They are people who believe that race plays a big role in a fighter’s ability. These trends are not, in themselves, a cause for great concern. But these are the loudest people. They are staunch supporters of fighters who are not concerned with the fairness or sustainability of the sport. I suspect that, if anything, this article will inflame Garcia’s fans and lead to heel digging and finger pointing. So, to them I ask: If cheating to win is acceptable, then what is the point of the competition? If one person is obligated to set the rules in a fight and another defiantly disregards them, are we watching a game, or are we contributing to its downgrade?

The rules make this sport, and if the rules apply to only one opponent in a fight, you have no violence allowed, not a boxing match.