The World Boxing Council (WBC) has called on Ryan Garcia to provide additional details regarding his failed drug tests following his bout with Devin Haney. The incident, which occurred during their fight in April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, has brought significant attention to Garcia and his camp.
Garcia, who is 25 years old, was ineligible to contest for the super-lightweight title as he was overweight. Despite this, he managed to dominate Haney, who was previously undefeated, and achieved knockdowns in the seventh, tenth, and eleventh rounds, securing a majority decision victory. However, post-fight reports revealed that Garcia tested positive for ostarine, a banned substance. Garcia has consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing, claiming the positive test was due to contamination.
Garcia’s legal team has also echoed these sentiments, maintaining that Garcia was a victim of supplement contamination and did not knowingly consume any banned or performance-enhancing drugs. Ostarine has been prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency since 2008 and is classified as an anabolic agent.
In a statement, the WBC outlined the steps taken following the adverse findings from Garcia’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ samples, both collected in April 2024. These samples tested positive for ostarine, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), which is banned at all times under the WBC Clean Boxing Program. Upon discovering the positive test results, the WBC initiated its Results Management Process, informing Garcia of his rights regarding the ‘B’ sample testing. The results of the ‘B’ sample also confirmed the presence of ostarine.
The WBC’s Results Management Unit has asked Garcia for any relevant information or documents to clarify the circumstances leading to the positive tests. They expect to receive this information by the end of June. In the meantime, the WBC continues to investigate the pharmacological properties of ostarine and the specifics of the test results.
The WBC has assured that it will keep the public updated as more information becomes available throughout this ongoing investigation.
