According to ESPN, Garcia, 25, tested positive for the performance-enhancing chemical Ostarine the day before and on the day of the fight, citing a letter from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
Ryan Garcia denied taking performance-enhancing drugs in a video posted on social media Wednesday night, following ESPN’s claim that he tested positive for a prohibited chemical.
Garcia defeated Devin Haney, a former amateur competitor, in a majority decision on April 20 in New York. Garcia knocked Haney down three times and handed the WBC super lightweight champion his first loss, but he did not win the championship because he exceeded the weight restriction.
“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat,” Garcia stated in a video posted to X. “I’ve never used steroids… I’m not even sure where to obtain steroids… I seldom take vitamins. “Big lies.”
According to ESPN, Garcia, 25, tested positive for the performance-enhancing chemical Ostarine the day before and on the day of the fight, citing a letter from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. NBC News did not access the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association letter mentioned by ESPN or verify the information in its article.
Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator, can promote muscular development. The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned the substance.
ESPN said that the samples were obtained before the fight, but the findings were not available until later.
“We learned about this situation not too long ago, and it’s unfortunate that Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positives not once but twice,” Haney stated in an interview with ESPN. He went on to say, “This puts the fight in a completely different light.”
Garcia’s win may be overturned if the adverse drug test is verified.
