Ryan Garcia popped for Ostarine use before and after his high-profile fight with Devin Haney in April.
Did he do it to make weight?
After a tumultuous and drama-filled build for the fight, this event set off a string of negative events for Garcia, and he’s currently serving a 1-year ban from boxing because of the failed drug tests.
Garcia has maintained his innocence throughout and insists that his positive test for Ostrarine was a product of a tainted supplement. That claim has never been confirmed, and we may never know everything because there may be aspects of the situation Garcia is unclear.
That said, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who promotes Haney and Hall-of-Famer Andre Ward, discussed the failed drug test in a recent episode of the fighter’s new podcast, All the Smoke Fight. Hearn said he believes Garcia broke the rules to make weight, and Ward agreed.
“Listen, I’ve had 50 positive drug tests in my promotional career for different fights,” Hearn said. “I know how it goes down. This one was like (makes a shocked face) then you do your research of what it is, and the amounts. One of the horrible things is that it was the night before the fight, and the night of the fight. You know that categorically, it was in his system the night of the fight. It didn’t cycle out 12 weeks ago, it was in him in the night of the fight. If I’m honest, been through all these 50 cases, and stuff like that. It would lead me to believe, it was in relation to the weight cut. I don’t believe that if you’re cheating-cheating, on a cycle or whatever in camp you take this the week of the fight. He says it was contamination. If it wasn’t contamination, I believe he’s taking this to to try and help him make weight for the fight.”
Closing out Hearns’ comments, Ward chimed in. “That’s what I believe,” Ward agreed. “Giving when he popped and when the test came out.”
Fighters are all familiar with doping and some aspects of the process, as it is doubtful they’ve never seen fighters dope or at least been approached with the concept. “You don’t start taking things the week of the fight or the night of the fight,” Ward continued.
“How he showed up to NY, the amount of weight he was over,” Ward continued. “I believe somebody said, ‘take this’ some form of diuretic. He took it, didn’t do his research, and he popped. And he’s responsible for it. It just is what it is.” Here is a look at the segment:
Hearn’s take makes sense, but his stance could also be an example of playing the long game.
There is a certain level of disgrace a fighter endures when they pop for any PED. However, it feels nastier and more reckless if it appears the fighter was trying to gain an advantage in the right. While still unsavory, popping to make weight doesn’t feel as dastardly.
It’s likely Hearn knows this, and considering there is a good chance we could see a mega-money rematch between Haney and Garcia in 2025, perhaps there is some interest in taking some of the heat off the latter. Perhaps that’s why Haney took to X to respond and ask why Garcia still failed to make weight if that was his motive for cheating.
In any case, Hearn and Ward’s take and rationale are logical, but I can also understand Haney’s skepticism.
The hope is that Garcia has moved past this part of his life in and out of the ring, and he can return to the sport more whole than he has been in the past year.
