As Ryan Garcia awaits the May 22nd testing for his B-samples, the A-sample that tested positive for ostarine on April 19th appears to greatly exceed the allowed limits set by NYAC, with the sample containing an Ostarine amount equal or greater than 6 ng[nanogram]/mil[millimeter]―which is 60 times above NYSAC’s set limit of 0.1 ng/mil.
Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KO’s) was the surprising source for how much Ryan Garcia (25-1, 20 KO’s) had tested, having received more information than publicly revealed on the exact levels of Garcia’s positive tests by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), as it’s customary for a fighter that tested positive for performance enhancing-drugs (PEDs) and his opponent to be fully informed about the results.
“No, no… he tested 0.6 NG. & .35 the weigh-in day [April 19th],” Haney stated on Twitter/X on May 9th in response to another user. “He was 60 times over the limit the day of the weigh-in.“
It should be noted that Haney’s assessment of the exact limits were incorrect, with the limit set at 0.1 ng/ml while Garcia tested for 6 ng/mil rather than 0.6 ng/mil as Haney claimed. Presumably, this might also mean the results of the second A-sample, which detected an amount of 0.35 ng/ml, was actually 3.5 ng/ml.
While the exact results of the other sample [tested on April 20th] that Ryan Garcia tested positive for had not been revealed, it is known the current sample in question was tested on April 19th―the day of the weigh-in; resulting in it testing abundantly over the 0.1 ng/mil limit set by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC).
While Garcia’s B-samples are still set to be tested on May 22nd and will confirm whether the results of the A-samples were correct―and therefore not contaminated or tainted in any manner, the repercussions that might follow if the results of the B-samples turn out to test positive may be even more widespread than initially thought.
Though Ryan Garcia has vehemently denied any allegations of PED-use, with one sample result testing 60 times over the threshold set by NYSAC, there will be significant pressure on the commission to handle this case accordingly following May 22nd. Garcia’s claims of using supplements will not likely hold any weight, as the 0.6 ng/mil result suggests the intentional use of ostarine rather than unintentional as he had initially claimed.
It would therefore fall to NYSAC, and subsequently the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), to not only suspend Garcia with the appropriate sentence but ensure this suspension is nationally enforced. A ban from boxing entirely might also ensue, though this matter will be tricky to be upheld internationally; depending on how much effort is put in.
Worriedly enough, there is still an opportunity for Ryan Garcia to avoid any punishment given most boxers that have recently tested positive for banned/illegal substances have managed to avoid any strict sentence. Even American heavyweight Jarrell Miller (26-1-1, 22 KO’s), who tested positive for the banned substances EPO and HGH in 2019 prior to being set to fight Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KO’s), did not receive any noticeable punishment. As Miller was not licensed with the NYSAC at the time―as the cancelled Joshua-Miller fight was set to happen in the state of New York, there was no suspension they could impose on him, and only the WBA seemed to have been interested in delivering any sort of punishment by removing him from their rankings for six months, and it did not actually prohibit Miller from boxing.
This was made more apparent when Miller went on to violate the rules once more by again testing positive for PEDs a year later in 2020, which eventually resulted in a two-year suspension.
However, given Miller completely seemed to bypass any consequences when he failed a drug test in 2019, there is no guarantee anything will happen to Ryan Garcia if his B-samples end up positive, as he currently appears licensed with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) rather than NYSAC; meaning that the NYSAC has no actual jurisdiction to suspend Garcia.
Given the example of Miller’s first failed test and the repercussions he managed to avoid, Garcia can therefore still evade any sort of repercussions regardless of whether his B-samples turn out to be positive, and this case now seems to hinge on how much effort the NYSAC will put in in delivering truly ensuring fairness within athletic sports.
