Garcia tests positive for PED after Haney fight

Warning: Story contains coarse language

Ryan Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, a banned performance-enhancing drug, in two drug tests administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association related to his April 20 fight against Devin Haney, according to a VADA letter obtained by ESPN's Mike Coppinger.

Urine tests from April 19 and 20 both returned positive for Ostarine. His April 19 test also came back positive for 19-Norandrosterone, another banned PED, pending further analysis.

Garcia now has 10 days to request testing of his B-sample, per Coppinger.

Ostarine, listed as an anabolic agent by the World Anti-Doping Agency, is not currently approved for human use in the United States, according to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Other boxers have been suspended for using Ostarine in the past, according to Coppinger.

"It's unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice," Devin Haney wrote in a statement to Coppinger. "I've always advocated 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."

The 25-year-old Garcia denied using any PEDs in a video on X, saying he wouldn't "even know where to get steroids."

"Ryan has put out multiple statements denying knowingly using any banned substances - and we believe him," Golden Boy Promotions said in a statement obtained by Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix. "We are working with his team to determine how this finding came to be and will address this further once we conclude that process."

The New York State Athletic Commission is now "reviewing the matter" with VADA, according to Coppinger. Depending on its findings, the NYSAC could decide to rule the Garcia-Haney fight - won by Garcia in a majority decision - a no-contest, per Mannix.

Bill Haney, Devin's father and trainer, was quick to rip his son's rival for doping.

"You trying to hurt my baby. We played it fair. We didn't do it like that," Bill Haney told Mannix. "Fuck boxing, this is some bullshit. I came from the streets. You scared of Devin on a level playing field. I feel fucked up over this. If you can brag about doing it, you shouldn't be on drugs."

The positive test is the latest chapter in the long and heated Garcia-Haney rivalry. Though last month's fight was their first professional faceoff, they had met six times as amateurs, with each of them winning three of those bouts.

The lead-up to their meeting at Barclays Center was filled with fireworks. Haney and Garcia nearly started the fight early during a promotional stop at the Empire State Building, and their scheduled appearance at a New York Mets game was called off due to fears of an on-field brawl.

Before the weigh-in, Garcia then accepted a wager to pay Haney $500,000 for every pound over the weight limit were he to miss weight. Garcia made good on the bet after he came in 3.2 pounds over. Garcia also agreed to forfeit over $600,000 of his purse because of being overweight.

While Garcia won the fight, his missing weight allowed Haney to retain his WBC junior welterweight belt in defeat.