As expected, Ryan Garcia’s B sample matched his A sample, confirming that the boxing star utilized the banned substance Ostarine in connection with his fight against Devin Haney.
Initially reported by boxing journalist Dan Rafael on X, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency revealed that Garcia tested positive for the widely panned PED in samples taken before and after his majority decision victory over Haney on April 20.
BREAKING: Ryan Garcia’s B sample results were returned Thursday a.m., 1 day after being opened. I have the lab reports & the B samples, as expected, matched A samples — both are positive for the banned PED Ostarine related to VADA tests the day before & after Haney fight. #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) May 23, 2024
It’s an unfortunate, but unsurprising turn of events as it’s extremely rare for a B sample to come back with a result differing from the A sample. With the fight taking place in Brooklyn, VADA has turned over test results to the New York State Athletic Commission who will schedule a hearing to determine what kind of penalties ‘King Ryan’ will face.
Garcia could face a stiff fine and/or a potential suspension. He could even see his boxing license revoked, though that would be rather extreme considering Garcia has not previously tested positive for banned substances. The NYSAC could also reverse the decision of the fight, dubbing it a no-contest or a disqualification, stripping Garcia of his career-defining victory.
Ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator, is classified as an anabolic agent and is banned in every major sports league, plus the NCAA. A slew of UFC stars, including ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley, Marvin Vettori, and Amanda Ribas have previously tested positive for the substance.
O’Malley and Vettori were both slapped with six-month suspensions. However, Vettori’s was later determined to have been the result of a tainted dietary supplement.
Ribas was handed a two-year suspension for her positive test, but like Vettori, it was downgraded to time served after USADA ruled that it was ingested unintentionally.
Ryan Garcia Reacts to Second Positive Test
As the news of his B sample began to spread, Ryan Garcia flocked to social media, delivering a series of unhinged posts making light of the situation.
Garcia and his legal team maintain that the substance was due to contamination, releasing a statement following VADA’s findings.
“Ryan Garcia is committed to clean and fair competition and has never intentionally used any banned substance. Soon after being notified of his positive test, Ryan voluntarily had his hair collected and shipped to Dr. Pascal Kintz, the foremost expert in toxicology and hair-sample analysis. The results of Ryan’s hair sample came back negative. This is consistent with contamination and demonstrably proves that Ryan had not ingested Ostarine over a period of time — the only way he would have had any advantage whatsoever in the ring.
“Ryan has voluntarily submitted to tests throughout his career, which have always shown negative results. He also tested negative multiple times leading up to the fight against Haney. All of these factors, combined with his ultra-low levels from samples taken on April 19th and 20th (in the billionth of a gram range), point to Ryan being a victim of supplement contamination and never receiving any performance-enhancing benefit from the microscopic amounts in his system.
“We are certain that one of the natural supplements Ryan was using in the lead-up to the fight will prove to be contaminated and are in the process of testing the supplements to determine the exact source.”
Statement from Ryan Garcia’s legal team: pic.twitter.com/5LMqy1t4Ym
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 23, 2024
