What Does The Failed Drug Test Mean For Ryan Garca And What Happens Next?

B-Samples Request

Garcia and his team have inevitably protested his innocence, and he posted a video on social media to deny any knowledge of taking banned substances.

“Everybody knows that I don’t cheat,” he said. “Never taken a steroid. … I don’t even know where to get steroids. … I barely take supplements. Big lies, I beat his ass.”

Promoters Golden Boy came out in support of their fighter with a statement reading: “Ryan has put out multiple statements denying knowingly using any banned substances — and we believe him.”

That is all very well and good, but statements posted to social media are not enough to prove innocence.

Garcia now has 10 days to request to get his B-sample tested. If that comes back negative, then the Californian is clear to continue his career and an internal investigation will probably be launched to discover the discrepancies between the two results.

However, it’s very rare that a B-Sample does not match the findings of the A-Sample. If that also comes back positive, Garcia will face a lengthy ban and his result against Haney will be overturned.

Garcia Likely To Launch Appeal

If Garcia is found to have banned substances in his system, then he will undoubtedly be provisionally suspended while a full investigation is underway.

For a fighter of his profile and wealth, he would almost certainly launch his own appeals process to prove his innocence and clear his name. Depending on the complexity of the case, it could take several months or even years to reach a resolution.

For a recent example, take the case of British fighter Conor Benn. In the lead-up to his grudge match with family rival Chris Eubank Jr, Benn failed two drug tests after testing positive for the banned substance clomifene in October 2022.

Benn was suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control and gave up his boxing license, before launching a wide investigation and even a lawsuit in which he sued the BBofC. He was then charged and suspended by UK Anti-Doping Control in March 2023.

But it wasn’t until nine months after the failed tests, in July 2023, that a resolution was reached when the National Anti-Doping Panel lifted his suspension and cleared Benn to fight. Despite returning to the ring, that case is still rumbling on as the BBofC and VADA have appealed the ruling.

How Long Would Garcia’s Ban Be?

It will depend on the severity of the situation, but according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), a first violation carries a two-year suspension.

The only instances in which a first violation punishment would be a warning and not a ban are in the cases of “specified substances”. These are substances that are found in general medicinal products, so an athlete could feasibly be unaware of its presence in off-the-shelf supplements they might be taking.

The problem for Garcia, though, is that ostarine is not found in such “specified substances” and has been on the WADA banned list since 2008. It was then upgraded and listed as an anabolic substance in 2022.

To further complicate matters, if the additional analysis on the 19-norandrosterone comes back positive, Garcia could face further punishment and additional suspensions for having two banned substances in his system.

What Happens To The Garcia v Haney Result?

Haney responded to the failed tests by releasing a statement to ESPN in which he accused Garcia of cheating and putting his life at risk.

“We learned about this situation not too long ago and it’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice,” Haney said.

“Ryan owes the fans an apology, and by his recent tweet he still thinks this is a joke. We put our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. You don’t play boxing. This puts the fight in a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got back up! People die in this sport. This isn’t a joking matter.”

Should Garcia be found guilty, then the sole defeat of Haney’s career will be scrubbed from the record.

According to WADA, “An anti-doping rule violation occurring during or in connection with an event may, upon the ruling body of the event, lead to the disqualification of all the athlete’s individual results obtained in that event with all the consequences, including the forfeiture of all medals, points, and prizes.”

In this specific case, it will be the New York State Athletic Commission, who sanctioned the fight in Brooklyn, who will make the decision to disqualify Garcia.

It will be some time before a resolution is reached one way or the other, and whatever the outcome it has already tarnished what was a remarkable night of prizefighter boxing.