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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
A Sports Medicine Research and Testing Institute report seen by ESPN said Thursday that star boxer Ryan Garcia's B sample returned an adverse result for the banned substance ostarine.
An A sample taken the day before and the day of his upset win over Devin Haney last month tested positive for ostarine on May 1st.
Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that binds to proteins in the body to effectively signal muscle growth. It is used to aid performance by increasing muscle mass and increasing fat loss rates in athletes, as well as improving stamina and recovery abilities.
Ostarine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned substance list since 2008, and was listed as an anabolic agent by WADA in 2022. WADA rules require that urine samples be collected in separate bottles, A and B, to prevent laboratory errors.
“I don't know where you are. [the adverse finding] “Where are you from?” Garcia told ESPN on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hours before standing ringside for Oleksandr Usyk's heavyweight title victory over Tyson Fury. “To be honest, I don't know. I was taking ashwagandha, D-3, omega-3, regular stuff. I don't know what the hell it is. [ostarine] teeth. …I seriously don't understand. I would tell everyone the truth.
“I prefer to tell the truth rather than lie, because lying doesn't work. So if I had taken it, I would have been in a weird situation, to be honest with you. I didn't have much confidence. I chose to take it. I'm sorry. That's all. But I didn't take it and I hate cheating. … All I can say is, legal team, please help me get this resolved.”
Darin Chavez, one of Garcia's four-person lawyers, told ESPN that a formal hearing will be held by the New York State Athletic Commission to “exonerate Garcia of any wrongdoing.” The commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“…immediately after being notified of the positive test, Ryan voluntarily collected a hair sample and sent it to Dr. Pascal Kintz, a leading expert in toxicology and hair sample analysis,” Chavez said. “The results of Ryan's hair sample were negative. …We are confident that one of the natural supplements Ryan was using leading up to the bout will be found to be contaminated. We are in the process of testing and identifying that supplement,” according to an accurate source.
The 25-year-old fighter could be acquitted if Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) and his team can actually prove to the commission that there was supplement contamination. Otherwise, he faces suspension of his boxing license along with fines.
Garcia, who defeated Haney three times by majority decision, slammed Victor Conte, who works with Haney as a sports nutritionist and performance advisor.
“This guy defending Devin Haney is the biggest fraud in the history of sports,” Garcia said. “You can't make this up.'' BALCO founder Conte served time in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute performance-enhancing drugs before founding sports nutrition company SNAC.
“Ryan Garcia has said a lot of nasty things to me recently,” Conte told ESPN, “but the scientific process is upheld and both of his urine B samples tested positive for ostarine. Strict liability rules apply and he will likely face a fine and a suspension from boxing. I hope Ryan's actions serve as an example of how not to behave during uncertain times while drug test results are pending. The boxing community deserves respect as a sport.”
Ostarine has been used in boxing before. Lucian Bute tested positive for Ostarine after a draw with Badou Jack for the WBC super middleweight title in 2016. The result was changed to a DQ victory for Jack. Amir Khan tested positive for Ostarine after his sixth-round TKO loss to Kell Brook in 2022 and was given a two-year suspension by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).
“It's been hard,” Garcia said. “I know I've been talking about myself, but I'm alone and I'm a little hurt and sad and I feel like I want to cry. I still feel like I want to cry because it's like they're taking, 'My greatest victory has been taken away, but again, it's in God's hands… At the end of the day, I'm just trying to fight for my innocence every day, come on, I've been giving them the facts. I told them what they were doing and how it turned into a positive the day before and the day after.'”
“I know I'll find a way to fight,” Garcia added of a possible suspension. “If I could fight in another country, I would. I just want to get in the ring. I'm in great shape. I'm feeling good and I'm gaining strength.”
