Why is Ryan Garcia suspended?

Ryan Garcia’s boxing career has hit a serious snag, courtesy of the New York State Athletic Commission’s decision to bench him for a year due to testing positive for the PED ostarine before and after his bout with Devin Haney on April 20. To add insult to injury, Garcia’s impressive win over the WBC super lightweight champion has been retroactively changed to a no contest, as confirmed by numerous sources. Boxing aficionado Dan Rafael broke the news on X, once known as Twitter.

The suspension is a tough pill to swallow for Garcia, whose stock skyrocketed following his stunning performance against Haney, which saw him knock down his opponent three times en route to a majority decision victory in New York. But then came the bombshell revelation of the positive drug test for ostarine.

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Initially, Garcia claimed innocence, attributing the positive test to tainted supplements. However, his supplement provider, NutraBio, vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that ostarine has never been part of their manufacturing process or products. With no viable defense from Garcia’s legal team, the narrative quickly turned against him.

“NutraBio has never manufactured a supplement with Ostarine and has never brought Ostarine into our manufacturing facility,” the company’s statement read. “We have a long-standing commitment to producing the highest-quality supplements, trusted by athletes worldwide.”

Despite the controversy, Garcia’s retirement announcement on social media amid the PED scandal quickly grabbed headlines. He later expressed his dismay over the suspension and the annulled victory, lamenting, “They took my victory away.”

In a fiery social media exchange, Garcia didn’t mince words, labeling Haney a “CRY BABY B—” and announcing his intention to switch sports to the UFC.

Meanwhile, Devin Haney responded with…

 

Why is Ryan Garcia suspended?

An athlete bears full responsibility for what they consume before competing, and ostarine’s presence on the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) banned substance list underscores its status as a prohibited performance-enhancing drug (PED).

The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) enforced penalties against Ryan Garcia due to the fact that the Haney-Garcia fight fell under their jurisdiction. According to the commission’s “Medical Standards Within Combat Sports,” stringent measures are in place to combat and deter the use of illicit substances and PEDs in professional combat sports. These include potential administrative license revocation, medical suspension, forfeiture of purse, and additional fines for any combatant found to be involved in doping or illicit drug use.

The decision to declare the Garcia-Haney fight a no contest stems from an agreement reached between Garcia’s legal team and the NYSAC regarding his acceptance of a ban for a PED violation. Consequently, Garcia’s victory can no longer stand as legitimate, resulting in the removal of the outcome from both fighters’ records, while Devin Haney retains his unblemished record.

Ostarine, classified as a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), is precisely the type of PED that athletes seek out to enhance their strength and muscle growth. Unlike traditional steroids that affect the entire body, SARMs like ostarine specifically target androgen receptors in muscles, offering a more targeted approach to enhancing physical performance. This makes them particularly popular among bodybuilders and athletes looking to gain a competitive edge.

However, ostarine and other SARMs are not approved by the FDA for human use, which means they are deemed unsuitable for consumption. Moreover, their use by athletes is strictly prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to their potential to provide unfair advantages in competition.

In essence, the case of Ryan Garcia serves as a stark reminder of the severe consequences athletes face when found in violation of anti-doping regulations, highlighting the importance of diligence and compliance with established guidelines in professional sports.