Ryan Garcia faces an inquest into his substance taking during the build-up to his victory over Devin Haney following a stunning development.
The Golden Boy star flagged for ostarine in a test before his New York triumph over Haney, which resulted in three knockdowns scored against the WBC super lightweight champion. “The Dream” had never previously been dropped during his career.
Garcia was the talk of social media even as promoter Oscar De La Hoya got into an argument with Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas. An investigation is underway, with the World Boxing Council working with VADA to decipher precisely what transpired.
“The WBC has received notification from Vada Testing about Ryan Garcia’s adverse findings on tests concerning his fight against Haney. The due process begins immediately as per the WBC Clean Boxing Program Protocol. More information to follow,” said WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman.
Since the news broke by Dan Rafael, Garcia has denied any wrongdoing. He stated a supplement taken could be the culprit but has also been criticized for joking about the failure. Garcia also quipped that tequila may have been the cause, harking back to the days when he hoodwinked all into believing he was suffering from mental problems.
Painting himself as the villain, Garcia eventually became the hero when he scored the most significant win of his career so far. But that was a far simpler time when failed drug tests weren’t out in the open, which could take Garcia to zero quickly if ratified in the coming days.
It’s not only ostarine up for debate. There’s another unnamed substance that Garcia will have to answer when the time is right. This whole debacle could derail his career at the tender age of 25.
Meanwhile, Haney – the same age as Garcia – is picking up the pieces after realizing his only defeat may have been solely due to another fighter cheating.
In another twist, Gervonta Davis defended his former opponent. Davis is the only man to beat Garcia inside the ropes.
Davis said: “Their fight was 4/20, right? If he tested positive right before the fight and after it, [it would] take 72 hours for the drug test to come back. So that’s Tuesday, and they would have the test back.
“Why didn’t they announce it, and then why wait until it’s a big boxing week to drop the “bomb?”
Davis has since posted DM’s between himself and Garcia, accompanied by a threat of another beating if his knockout victim is found guilty.
The whole situation is a mess, which may end up being a no-contest when the dust settles.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
