Ryan Garcia has received a one year suspension from boxing from the New York State Athletic Commission after testing positive for the PED ostarine both before and after his April 20 win against Devin Haney.
Garcia's win against the WBC super lightweight champion also will be overturned to a no contest, per multiple reports. Boxing writer Dan Rafael first reported the news Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.
BREAKING: Ryan Garcia/legal team have made settlement agreement with NYSAC. He has agreed to the following: suspension of at least 1 year; forfeiture of his $1.1M official contract purse (goes to GB, Haney may get %), $10k fine (state max); fight officially a no contest. #boxing
— Dan Rafael (@DanRafael1) June 20, 2024
Even with the many facets of the punishment, the most damaging is the no contest. The 25-year-old's stock rose exponentially after he floored Haney three times and claimed a majority decision triumph in New York.
Then came the news that Garcia had tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.
Garcia initially claimed his positive test was a result of supplement contamination and pleaded his innocence. But the supplement provider, NutraBio, vigorously denied the presence of ostarine in their products, and there was no comeback from Garcia’s legal team.
"NutraBio has never manufactured a supplement with Ostarine and has never brought Ostarine into our manufacturing facility," read the statement from NutraBio. "We have a long-standing commitment to producing the highest-quality supplements, trusted by athletes worldwide.
"NutraBio set the bar when it comes to guaranteeing products' quality and safety and we are the first sports supplement company to have full-label disclosure. Our supplements are manufactured in our own GMP facility, meeting CFR Part 111 GMP regulations.
"We take any claims against our company extremely seriously and we will aggressively investigate the recent allegations made by Ryan Garcia’s camp. We stand by our process for ensuring the quality, safety and security of our products. We deeply appreciate the trust placed in us by our customers and athletes alike, and we are confident that trust is deserved."
MORE: Ryan Garcia announces retirement amid PED scandal
Garcia announced his retirement from boxing Wednesday on social media amid the scandal, then took to social media again after the reports of his suspension and the overturned win, saying: “They took my victory away.”
He also labeled Haney a "CRY BABY B—" and said he would leave boxing to join the UFC.
Meanwhile, Haney had this to say:
Thank you too the commission for doing the right thing & making the right decision.. I don’t understand how golden boy is getting any money as if they took any punches. They haven’t even spoke out about this PED situation https://t.co/9exXRvsQEk
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) June 20, 2024
Why is Ryan Garcia suspended?
An athlete is fully responsible for what they ingest before competing and ostarine is on the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) banned substance list.
The NYSAC imposed the penalties on Garcia as the Haney-Garcia fight took place within their jurisdiction.
The commission's "Medical Standards Within Combat Sports" literature states: “To deter and combat illicit substance and PED use in professional combat sports, the Commission shall seek administrative license revocation, medical suspension, purse forfeiture, and additional fines in any instance in which a professional combatant engages in doping and/or illicit drug use.”
Why was the Garcia-Haney fight declared a no contest?
With Garcia's legal team reaching an agreement with the NYSAC to accept a ban for a PED offense, his victory can no longer be viewed as legitimate. The result will be removed from both fighter’s records, and Haney remains unbeaten.
What is ostarine?
Ostarine is a banned performance-enhancing drug, which is used by athletes to increase strength and muscle growth.
Classed as a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), it binds to the body’s androgen receptors and stimulates muscle growth, making it commonly used by bodybuilders via dietary supplements.
While it operates in a similar fashion, SARMs such as ostarine are not steroids, as they target specific parts of the human body, whereas steroids affect the entire body.
The drug is not FDA approved, meaning it is unsuitable for human consumption, and its use by athletes is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).