Written by: Sean Crose
Ryan Garcia, who stunned the world last month by beating lightweight kingpin Devin Haney in a career-defining victory, now finds himself in the spotlight for having a banned substance in his system before the fight takes place in Brooklyn. Weeks ago, the A sample of the drug test that Garcia took came back positive for the banned substance Ostarine. A follow-up B sample was now tested and gave the same result.
“Cheaters don’t win,” said Devin Haney’s father Bill Fight Hub TV. “They’re not funny about what Garcia’s team did and what Ryan Garcia did. Expect something serious. There are ramifications to this. We signed up for a good fight and we didn’t get it.” As for the elder Haney, the difference between his son and Garcia was black and white. “Devin must be a clean fighter,” he continued, “a family man who represents the community, who doesn’t cheat, who doesn’t use steroids, who doesn’t set a bad example for kids.”
Needless to say, Garcia’s legal team responded quickly to the test results.
“Ryan Garcia is committed to clean and fair competition and has never knowingly used a banned substance,” the statement said. “Immediately after being informed of his positive test, Ryan voluntarily collected his hair and was sent to Dr. Pascal Kintz, leading expert in toxicology and hair sample analysis. This is consistent with the contamination and clearly proves that Ryan did not consume Ostarine for a long time – the only way he could gain an advantage in any ring. “
Garcia’s legal team also brought up the fighter’s clean past.
“Ryan has voluntarily submitted to testing throughout his career,” the statement read, “which has consistently shown negative results. He also tested negative multiple times leading up to the fight with Haney. All of these factors, combined with his extremely low levels from samples taken on April 19 and 20 (per billionth of a gram), points to Ryan being a victim of additive contamination and has never found any performance-enhancing benefit in his system. We are certain that one of the natural additives Ryan was using before the war will appear to be contaminated and we are in the process of testing the additives for the exact source.”
Per ESPN, The New York State Athletic Commission has weighed in. “The Commission strictly prohibits the use of performance-enhancing drugs,” the organization said, “and works diligently to maintain the integrity of the sport and maintain a fair playing field … where violations are found, the Commission will take action.”
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