Ryan Garcia has tested positive for the same banned substance in a second drugs test after he beat Devin Haney.
The 25-year-old beat Haney in an upset victory on April 20, but after the fight Garcia’s B sample and A sample have both tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine following tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Boxing journalist Dan Rafael tweeted: “Ryan Garcia’s B sample results were returned Thursday [23 May] a.m., one day after being opened. I have the lab reports & the B samples, as expected, matched A samples — both are positive for the banned PED [performance-enhancing drug] ostarine related to VADA tests the day before & after Haney fight.”
Garcia has vehemently denied the allegations since news that his test had failed broke three weeks ago. “Everybody knows that I don’t cheat. I beat that man fair and square,” Garcia said.
“I have never cheated a day in my life. Never taken a steroid. I don’t even know where to get steroids, I don’t even know what they look like. I barely take supplements. Big lies, I beat his a**.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Since his defeat, Haney has protested for his loss to be overturned to a no-contest and slammed Garcia for his light reaction to his test failures. “It’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice,” ‘The Dream’ wrote on social media.
“Ryan owes the fans an apology, and by his recent tweet he still thinks this is a joke. We put our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. You don’t play boxing. This puts the fight in a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got back up. People die in this sport. This isn’t a joking matter.”
Garcia stunned the boxing world when he beat Haney last month, flooring him three times before beating him via a unanimous decision in their super-lightweight fight. Though Haney’s WBC title wasn’t on the line because Garcia missed weight.
More to follow.
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