Reports: Ryan Garcia tested positive for banned substance during fight weekend with Devin Haney

Ryan Garcia tested positive for a banned substance the day before defeating Devin Haney in a stunning upset and tested positive again on the day of the fight won by majority decision, according to ESPN.

ESPN’s Mike Coppinger has obtained a copy of the letter sent Wednesday to Garcia and Haney from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), which conducted drug tests for the April 20 match between Garcia and Haney.

According to VADA’s letter, Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, which is the trade name for a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is not approved for human use or consumption in the US or any other country, according to the United States. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). It is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Dan Rafael, a longtime boxing reporter, was the first to report the news. Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix also confirmed Rafael’s report.

According to ESPN, Garcia has 10 days to request testing of his B sample. A’s sample also tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, but the result has yet to be confirmed, according to ESPN.

Garcia called the reports “fake news.” a post on X, formerly Twitter. He also denied ever taking a steroid.

While Garcia continued to post on X, Haney released a statement to ESPNsaying that Garcia “cheated and disrespected both the fans and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and coming out positive not once, but twice.”

“Ryan owes his fans an apology and after his recent tweet, he still thinks it’s a joke,” Haney wrote. “We put our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. You don’t play boxing.

“This puts the fight in a whole other light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and stood up! People die in this sport. This is no joke.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ryan Garcia tested positive for banned substance, VADA says