Ryan Garcia may indeed have a case of tainted supplements.
In a statement sent to MMA Fighting on Thursday, Garcia’s legal team announced that samples of two supplements declared for the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) ahead Garcia’s bout against Devin Haney have “returned positive for ostarine contamination.” Such a development would help support Garcia’s claims that he is a victim of tainted supplements following the biggest win of his professional boxing career.
Garcia’s team included lab results of the two supplements in question from the Sports Medicine Research & Testing Laboratory (SMRTL), one which of was detected in the range of “70-2200 picograms [of ostarine] per gram powder,” and the other at “approximately 660-830 picograms per gram powder.”
The complete statement from Garcia’s team can be read below.
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. 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.
Garcia, 25, tested positive for the banned substance ostarine in two VADA drug tests in relation to his April 20 bout against Haney, failing a pre-fight urine test on April 19 as well as a post-fight urine test on April 20.
Ostarine is a banned selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that has been linked to many tainted supplement cases in combat sports in the past.
Garcia defeated Haney in a shockingly one-sided bout, knocking down the former WBC champ three times en route to a decision win. He has maintained his innocence since news first broke of the positive drug screenings in early May.
Haney’s team continues to seek to have the result of the bout overturned, pushing for the first loss of Haney’s pro career to instead be reversed into a disqualification victory.
Garcia’s team on Thursday announced a press conference for early June “to provide more insight and answer questions.” The boxer could be subject to a fine as well as a suspension, and his victory could be overturned unless Garcia is deemed innocent of any wrongdoing.
