Ryan Garcia is coming off one of the most impressive fights of his career. On April 20, 2024, Garica took on the WBC Super Lightweight Champion Devin Haney in the Barclays Center and had an excellent performance. Garcia scored three knockdowns in the contest and beat Haney via majority decision. However, it looks like the win is tainted as he has tested positive for ostarine during the fight week.
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Fans might question what ostarine is. It is a prohibited substance that is considered a PED and is an alternative to steroids. It is not allowed for any athlete to consume and is banned by WADA. ESPN initially broke the news and VADA confirmed that the pugilist failed his drug tests both before and after the bout. Hence, there are chances that the result of the bout will get overturned and Garcia will face a long-term suspension.
Ryan Garcia denies Devin Haney a rematch after testing positive for PED
Ryan Garcia did not have the best time leading upto the bout against Devin Haney. Firstly, many fans and Haney himself questioned if Garcia was serious about the contest or not. Reels went viral of “KingRy” singing during a face-to-face interview with his opponent. After that, the Mexican-American fighter also missed weight for the contest as well!
The bout was originally supposed to take place at 140lbs and Devin Haney made the weight. However, Garcia came in at 143.2lbs which was 3.2lbs over the limit. He also lost 1.5 million to Haney as Garcia bet that he’d pay 500,000 for each pound that he missed. However, the fan opinion turned around after seeing how well he performed in the contest. But, after the recent news of his testing positive, Garcia is facing a ton of backlash once more.
Here are some fan reactions on the matter
What a dirty cheat
— Stefan Mccurley (@stefanmccurley) May 2, 2024
This mf fake his pre fight madness and now he thinks we gon believe every shit he says lol
— Ben (@bensua86) May 2, 2024
How is missing weight and taking steroids fair? You cheating hoe
— Tim L Swank (@timlswank) May 2, 2024
@RyanGarcia you cheating ass mf.
— … (@Nvdster) May 2, 2024
You a fuckn meat head @RyanGarcia
— Wi-Fi Deezy (@wifideezy) May 2, 2024
You getting a lengthy ban
— Packer M (@Packer_an) May 2, 2024
After the news broke, the 25-year-old went on a rant on social media. Garcia vehemently denied all the news of him taking any kind of “steroid” ahead of the contest. In one of his posts, Ryan added, “Why in the world would I volunteer for a drug test if I planned on taking drugs? Make it make sense???” In another post, Garcia wrote, “I’m on the Jesus steroid”
Now, the question is, will Garcia give Haney a rematch after the recent developments? The answer seems to be a big fat ‘no’! He wrote, “Nah I ain’t going to rematch him… I beat him easy, fair and square… I’d be damned if I rematch him…”
Gervonta Davis stands up for Ryan Garcia after positive PED test
Gervonta Davis, who handed Ryan Garcia the first professional boxing loss of his career, has shown his support for the fighter. In a deleted Twitter/X post, Davis added, “They doing anything to take away the win from Ryan..if that’s the case BANNED EDDIE HEARN SILVER POON A*S!”
Now it all makes sense 😫 RYAN How could you 🤦🏾♀️
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) May 2, 2024
However, Claressa Shields did not seem to have the same opinion as Davis. Firstly, she seemed shocked to hear the news and wrote, “Wow Ryan.”
She then went on to add that the PED news aligns with how the fight went and expressed her disappointment about it. Although Shields’ reaction was somewhat subdued, Shakur Stevenson went ballistic.
He wrote, “Say gang any n*gga ever get in there and cheat me like that R.I.P 🙏🏾 and any boxer standing wit that sh*t a h*e.. Now idk if it’s true or not but if it is get that n*gga out of boxing.”
Say gang any nigga ever get in there and cheat me like that R.I.P 🙏🏾 and any boxer standing wit that shit a hoe.. Now idk if it’s true or not but if it is get that nigga out of boxing
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson) May 2, 2024
Lastly, the fighter who was at the end of Garcia’s punishment in April, Devin Haney, also broke his silence on the matter.
He said, “I’ve always been an advocate for clean fighting and this is an example of such. 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.” (h/t via ESPN Ringside)
What is your take on the matter? Let us know in the comments below.