Ryan Garcia’s B Sample Tests Positive for Ostarine, Trades Verbal Barbs with Devin Haney Sports Nutritionist Victor Conte
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Los Angeles, CA (May 24th, 2024)– Star boxer Ryan ‘King Ry’ Garcia’s B-sample returned an adverse finding for the banned substance Ostarine on Thursday, May 23, 2024, as per a Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory report, matching the A-sample taken from Garcia after his nontitle 12 round decision win over Devin Haney on May 20, 2024, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Garcia showed up over three pounds overweight, and Haney was still allowed to retain his World Boxing Council World Super Lightweight title as a result.
The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) issued a statement in response to the sample-B finding of Garcia on Thursday, saying the matter is still under review.
Ostarine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list (since 2008), and in 2022 was listed as an anabolic agent by WADA, whose rules require urine samples collected to be divided into A and B bottles, to safeguard against laboratory error. Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator which attaches to proteins in the body, effectively signaling for muscles to grow. It is used to improve athletic performance by helping athletes build muscle mass, while enhancing the rate to fat loss, as well as to increasing stamina and recovery ability.
Victor Conte, who works with Haney as a sports nutritionist and performance adviser, told ESPN “Ryan Garcia has called me lots of horrible names recently. However, the scientific (anti-doping) process was upheld and both of his urine B-samples came back positive for Ostarine. The strict liability rule will now apply, and he (Ryan Garcia) will likely be fined and suspended from boxing. I hope Ryan’s behavior will serve as an example of how not to act in times of uncertainty, in regards to pending drug testing results. The world of boxing deserves to be respected as a sport.”
Garcia told ESPN “This dude (Haney sports adviser Victor Conte) defending Devin Haney is the biggest cheater in sports history. You can’t make this up.” Conte, founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative also known as BALCO, served time in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute performance-enhancing drugs. After release, Conte founded SNAC, a sports nutrition company.
Garcia continued to protest his innocence to ESPN, in a bout result which could conceivably be changed to a ‘No-Contest’ if the sample-A and sample-B sample results hold up. “It’s been tough,” Garcia said. “I know I’ve been talking my s–t but alone it’s been hurting me a little bit and I’ve been sad and I feel like crying. I even feel like crying right now, because it’s just like they’re taking (going to take my win over Haney) my greatest victory away. But agai leave it in God’s hands. At the end of the day, I just feel like I try to fight for my innocence everyday man. I’ve been giving them the facts about what they’re doing (WADA), and how it ended up being a positive the day before and the day after.”