Ryan Garcia has reportedly been suspended for one year by the New York State Athletic Commission and will forfeit his victory against Devin Haney in April following positive tests for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine.
Garcia defeated Haney via decision in a fight on April 20 but tested positive for the PED shortly after. The fight is now being ruled a no-contest, per ESPN.
Additionally, Garcia will be forced to forfeit the purse from the fight, which was worth $1.1 million, and pay the maximum state fine of $10,000, according to Yahoo Sports.
A statement released by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) said that Garcia’s professional boxer license will be suspended until April 20, 2025, and will not be reinstated until he can provide a clean urinalysis to the commission.
“The Commission will continue to hold athletes to the highest professional standards and protect the integrity of all sports under our jurisdiction,” reads the statement, per The Athletic.
Haney said he was grateful for the NYSAC and that the “facts are the facts,” adding that the body’s decision proved that he “wasn’t on an even playing field.”
“Happy I was able to receive justice for what happened. It’s all part of my story, and it’s only going to make me better. I look to enjoy this time with my family and friends and see what’s next,” he added while speaking to ESPN.
Haney now remains the WBC junior welterweight champion, a title he holds in addition to the WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight titles, according to Bleacher Report.
While Haney remains one of the top-ranked boxers in the world, he has yet to announce when or who he will fight next:
“I’m a clean athlete and boxing is a brutal sport where one fight can literally change your life. I think it important for fighters to be clean and I want to become an advocate for clean athletes for my experience in this situation.”
Garcia’s team maintained his innocence, writing in a statement that the boxer “never intentionally took any banned substance.”
“It’s simply not in his nature. … The fans will always remember his performance against Haney as a masterclass, and that will never be erased,” his team added, per ESPN.
The suspension comes just days after Garcia announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is “officially retired.”
Garcia has now begun hinting that he might make a move to the UFC, writing in separate X posts that he is “headed to the UFC” and that CEO Dana White should get in contact with him; however, it remains to be seen whether these considerations are serious and what steps Garcia will take next.
