Ryan Garcia defeated Devin Haney two months ago. Nothing has gone according to plan since. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The surreal sequence of events that began with Ryan Garcia's career-defining win over Devin Haney has resulted in a suspension of at least one year for the mercurial boxer, according to veteran reporter Dan Rafael.
Garcia's settlement with the New York State Athletic Commission will also reportedly see him lose his victory over Haney, with the fight officially becoming a no contest. He will be forced to forfeit his $1.1 million contract purse and pay a $10,000 fine, the state maximum.
Garcia soon confirmed that his win was vacated via social media, and echoed his Wednesday announcement that he is supposedly retired.
They took my victory away
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 20, 2024
It’s okay I’m retired I’ll come back ina year
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 20, 2024
He then suggested a move to the UFC was in the works and called out UFC president Dana White.
I’m headed to the UFC
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 20, 2024
For real Dana white hit me up
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 20, 2024
Garcia's team later released a statement calling him "a victim of substance contamination" and saying "the fans will always remember his performance against Devin Haney as a masterclass.
Meanwhile, Haney welcomed the news, which will see him become undefeated again with a 31-0 (1) record.
Thank you too the commission for doing the right thing & making the right decision.. I don’t understand how golden boy is getting any money as if they took any punches. They haven’t even spoke out about this PED situation https://t.co/9exXRvsQEk
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) June 20, 2024
Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, listed by WADA as an anabolic agent, after defeating Haney by majority decision in April and soon had his B-sample test positive as well. The development tainted a win that could have catapulted Garcia into true boxing stardom, with three knockdowns of the WBC lightweight champ.
That win already had something of an asterisk due to Garcia coming in more than three pounds overweight, costing him $1.5 million via an ill-advised bet made with Haney the day before and a shot at Haney's WBC title belt.
With a suspension clearly incoming, Garcia's camp noted that two supplements the boxer declared to doping authorities had tested positive for Ostarine contamination, indicating that Garcia didn't knowingly ingest the substance. A lack of a track record and a clean hair sample bolstered that argument.
Per documents obtained by ESPN, the supplements at issue are raspberry-lemonade flavored NutraBio SuperCarb (which tested positive for Ostarine at 70-2200 picograms per gram powder) and Body Health strawberry-flavored amino-acid blend (660 to 830 picograms).
Garcia's legal team indicated to ESPN they believed only a four-month suspension was warranted, but the NYSAC evidently thought differently.
Ryan Garcia claimed he was retiring amid bizarre string of incidents
While the matter of Garcia's positive tests has been closed, that is only one part of an incredibly turbulent year for a boxer who can be unstable in the best of times.
Since the beginning of 2024, Garcia has …
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announced his divorce (immediately after his ex-wife gave birth to their son)
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lost that $1.5 million bet to Haney
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tested positive for Ostarine
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posted an unhinged tweet storm in which he proclaimed "I will swallow all steroids"
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gotten sued for allegedly defaming Logan Paul's energy drink company
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been accused by Paul of fabricating text messages in which the influencer supposedly made light of the situation in the Gaza strip
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had his mother diagnosed with breast cancer
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been arrested for felony vandalism at a Beverly Hills hotel
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been hospitalized following that arrest
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suspended a year while losing the biggest win of his career and more than $1 million from the positive test
It was with that context that Garcia posted another social media rant on Wednesday, in which he proclaimed "I'm officially retired" and "Forget I existed everyone."
Yall may catch me out and about but as far as boxing I don’t know
There is so much corruption I’m over it
I may do acting or singing
I’ll still be training but I’m hurt and done with it and everyone
The sad part is I’m a great boxer
And I entertain and knock people out…
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) June 19, 2024
Given everything that's happened with Garcia in the past six months, it's hard to take that retirement announcement seriously, but it also can't be ignored. It is absolutely a mystery when Garcia will next fight, and not just because of his suspension.
