Ryan Garcia has been suspended for one year by the New York State Athletic Commission and will be stripped of his win over Devin Haney as part of that suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug following his April win, the commission announced. Athletic On Thursday.
Garcia also forfeited more than $1 million in winnings to Golden Boy Promotions and was fined $10,000 by the NYSAC.
“His New York State professional boxing license will be suspended until April 20, 2025, or until he receives a clear urine test result from the commission,” the NYSAC said in a statement. “The commission will continue to hold athletes to the highest professional standards and uphold the integrity of all sports under its jurisdiction.”
Shortly after news of the suspension became public, Garcia posted a photo of himself fighting Haney at X with the caption “F*** crybaby.” The post was quickly deleted.
The win was the most important of Garcia's career and arguably the biggest boxing shock of the year. Haney came into the bout undefeated as the WBC super lightweight champion. Haney defended his belt after Garcia weighed in 3.2 pounds over the mutually agreed-upon weight limit of 140 pounds, making him ineligible for the title.
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The loss resulted in a no contest, meaning Haney will also retain his undefeated record.
“I'm grateful that the committee did the right thing and made the right decision,” Haney said on X after news of Garcia's punishment. “I don't understand how Golden Boy is getting paid as if they've been punched. They haven't even spoken out on this PED issue.”
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A few weeks after Garcia's upset, test results revealed that he had tested positive for the PED ostarine the day before the win. Garcia's pre-fight sample also reportedly tested positive for 19-norandrosterone.
On Wednesday, Garcia posted on X about his struggles over the past few months and announced that he was “officially retiring” from boxing. It is unclear if Garcia was aware of Thursday's announcement of the disciplinary action when he posted on Wednesday.
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“Whatever I had in my body was not enough!!!!!! So I quit the game,” Garcia reiterated on Thursday. “I definitely did not cheat. FUCK THIS.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Garcia poked fun at Haney's recent post about a yet-to-be-announced rematch after his suspension: After the rematch was announced on Thursday, Haney reiterated his desire to see a rematch between the two.
“I'll be back in a year,” he said. “I already have all the belts and from now on I'll fight at any weight I choose, regardless of division.”
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(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)