Despite his claims he was a victim of substance contamination, the New York State Athletic Commission dropped the hammer down on Ryan Garcia on Thursday.
In April, Ryan Garcia shocked the boxing world when he took on the challenge of junior welterweight champion Devin Haney. “King Ry” was a massive underdog in the bout but shockingly beat the pound-for-pound star and stamped his place as one of the fastest-rising fighters in the sport.
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However, that was all cast into doubt a few weeks later when it was revealed that Garcia had failed his pre-fight drug tests and the PED Ostarine was found in his samples. The fighter immediately claimed he was a victim of contaminated supplements and released his own findings from a lab to back up his claims.
However, when his B-sample did not deliver negative results for the substance, a serious punishment was an eventuality. On Thursday, the New York State Athletic Commission announced that Ryan Garcia would receive a year-long suspension, and his career-changing win over Haney in April was overturned to a no-content. The 25-year-old must also forfeit $1 million to his promotion Golden Boy and was fined $10,000 by the commission.
Soon after the news, the 24-1 fighter’s representatives released a statement where he stood by the claims that he was a victim, thanked his loyalist fans for the support in recent weeks, and suggested in a follow-up X post he is “headed to the UFC.”
“Ryan Garcia was a victim of substance contamination, with levels measured in the billions and trillions of a gram, which provided no advantage whatsoever in the ring. Ryan, with his legal team, has resolved this issue and firmly maintains his truth: he never intentionally took any banned substance. It’s simply not in his nature.
For many years, Ryan has voluntarily submitted to random testing, even during out-of-competition periods, and has never had any issues. He has maintained an impeccable and clean record throughout his career, significantly elevating and transcending the sport of boxing, earning respect and admiration from millions of fans worldwide.
The fans will always remember his performance against Haney as a masterclass, and that will never be erased. Ryan will continue to elevate the sport and will be actively involved in advocating for reform. We hope future changes in our system will address issues like this one.
We want to thank all of the fans who have continued to support Ryan, not only during the great moments but also through the difficult times that life brings. He will be back in the ring soon and better than ever!”
– Statement from Ryan Garcia’s reps
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The suspension is a massive setback in the young star’s career and will now leave a stain on his legacy that will be very hard to remove.
