Boxing sensation Ryan Garcia has been handed a one-year suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) after testing positive for ostarine in two separate drug tests related to his April 20 bout against Devin Haney. Sources confirmed to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger that Garcia’s victory over Haney has been officially overturned to a no-contest.
According to reports, Garcia will forfeit $1.2 million to Golden Boy Promotions and has been fined $10,000 by the NYSAC. Garcia’s camp responded to the suspension, asserting that he was a victim of substance contamination, with levels detected in the billions and trillions of a gram, providing no competitive advantage.
Garcia, who defeated Haney via decision in a notable upset, has consistently maintained his innocence since the failed drug tests surfaced in early May. His legal team has attributed the positive result to a contaminated supplement.
As part of the suspension terms, Garcia must submit clean drug samples until April 20, 2025, to have the ban lifted, as reported by boxing insider Dan Rafael.
In reaction to the NYSAC ruling, Haney expressed relief, stating, “I want to thank the commission and the fans who stood by me during this whole process. The facts are the facts and I wasn’t on an even playing field. Happy I was able to receive justice for what happened.”
He emphasized his commitment to clean sport, saying, “I’m a clean athlete and boxing is a brutal sport where one fight can literally change your life. I think it’s important for fighters to be clean and I want to become an advocate for clean athletes from my experience in this situation.”
Following news of his suspension, Garcia, 25, initially announced his retirement from boxing on social media, then later tweeted, “It’s okay, I’m retired, I’ll come back in a year.”
I’m officially retired
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 19, 2024
Garcia’s victory over Haney, initially hailed as one of the year’s biggest upsets, saw him knock down Haney three times on his way to a majority-decision win. His career record now stands at 24-1 (1 no-contest).
Haney, now undefeated again after the ruling change, holds a professional record of 31-0 (1 no-contest).
In a separate development this week, Top Rank secured rights for a bout between Haney and Sandor Martin, though an agreement between the parties is pending.
