Ryan Garcia’s drugs test B-sample results for Devin Haney fight confirmed as positive
Ryan Garcia drugs test B-samples from the Devin Haney fight have also tested positive for ostarine
On April 20, Ryan Garcia shocked the boxing world by flooring Haney three times during their 12-round super-lightweight fight in New York, ultimately beating him via unanimous decision.
However, that stunning victory is now under scutiny after he tested positive for the banned substance ostarine in two VADA drugs tests taken on the day before and on the day of the fight.
25-year-old Garcia has insisted his innocence so requested for his B-samples also be tested.
Every time a fighter takes a drugs test, the sample of blood or urine is split into two separate containers – an A-sample and a B-sample.
The reason for this is because in very rare cases it is possible for testing errors or lab contaminations to lead to a false positive with the A-sample. Therefore, the B-sample provides insurance to confirm the result.
As Garcia already had two separate positive tests it already seemed very unlikely that his B-samples would register any kind of different result.
And indeed, it has now been confirmed that his B-samples for both positive tests have also been returned as positive.
With the results confirmed, the New York Commission’s investigation into Garcia’s positive tests can now continue.
He will face a possible lengthy ban from boxing if found guilty.
However, following the B-sample news, Garcia’s legal team released a statement updating the public on his defence.
It read: “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 19 and 20 (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.”
WBC World super-lightweight champion Devin Haney’s attorney has written an eight-page letter to the New York Commission requesting for Garcia to be disqualified from their fight, which would then award Haney the victory.
He cited ‘PED use’, ‘prohibited use of IVs’ and ‘admitting missing weight was a tactic for an unfair advantage’ as his reasons for doing so.
“Honestly I’m not too interested in it,” 25-year-old Haney told ESPN SportsCenter when asked about a rematch.
“During the build-up we’ve seen a lot of interesting things from him.
“We’ve seen his character, we’ve seen the guy cheat, we’ve seen the person that he is.
“I don’t see myself ever getting back in the ring [with him], but I’m a fighter speaking right now about how I feel, we never know what the future holds. As of right now, it wouldn’t be a fight I would entertain.
“As I said, this guy showed his character, he showed that he would do anything to win, including cheat, that’s just reality.
“Boxing is just a sport at the end of the day. “He put my life in jeopardy. So now it’s deeper than boxing with me.
“I wanna take this thing somewhere else now. He could’ve done some real dangerous things to me that night.”