In the wake of confirmation of a second positive drug test for boxer Ryan Garcia, his legal team has issued an additional statement asserting he is without fault.
Garcia submitted a “B” sample in the wake of his upset win over Devin Haney in April, but like his “A” sample it was positive for Ostarine, which is a banned substance. Tests were conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Garcia’s legal team said a hair sample that was tested indicated he could not have been using Ostarine long-term, which would lead to a presumption of supplement contamination.
Thursday, his legal team reiterated that claim and said an upcoming news conference will give more details.
“The test results from samples of two supplements declared by Ryan Garcia on VADA Doping Control Forms, signed on April 19th and 20th, have returned positive for Ostarine contamination,” Garcia’s legal team wrote in a statement. “This confirms what we have consistently maintained: Ryan was a victim of supplement contamination and has never intentionally used any banned or performance-enhancing substances. Any claims to the contrary, questioning Ryan’s integrity as a clean fighter, are unequivocally false and defamatory.
“Throughout his career, Ryan has voluntarily submitted to numerous tests, all of which have returned negative results, underscoring his commitment to fair and clean competition. Additionally, multiple negative tests leading up to his fight against Haney further affirm his clean record. The ultra-low levels of Ostarine detected in his samples, in the billionth of a gram range, along with his clean hair sample proves contamination rather than intentional ingestion. The recent test results reiterate this.
“A press conference will be held next week to provide more insight and answer questions. More details on the conference will be announced in the coming days.”
The samples that tested positive were taken the day before and the day of Garcia’s fight with Haney, who was knocked down three times and lost a majority decision.
A date for a hearing for Garcia with the New York State Athletic Commission has not been announced. He faces a suspension, fines and the overturning of his win. Haney was unbeaten entering the fight.
