ESPN reported on Thursday that Ryan Garcia's B-sample tested positive for a banned substance. However, the boxer's legal team and promoter cited a negative hair sample as evidence that he had not violated any rules.
Garcia, who knocked down Devin Haney three times in New York on his way to a majority-decision victory on April 20, also had his A-sample come back positive for Ostarine on May 1.
Garcia's attorneys – Paul Greene, Matt Kaiser, Darin Chavez and Guadalupe Valencia – said in a statement that Garcia submitted the hair sample after the original positive test. They also pointed to the results of the first test, saying the samples were at "ultra-low levels" that were "in the billionth of a gram range" as evidence Garcia was not guilty of taking performance-enhancing drugs.
"Ryan has voluntarily submitted to tests throughout his career, which have always shown negative results," the lawyers' statement said. "He also tested negative multiple times leading up to the fight against Haney."
Golden Boy Promotions, which also represents Garcia, made a similar case for his innocence.
"As noted when the initial tests emerged, we believe Ryan – and we continue to today," the promoter's statement said.
Haney reposted comments on X expressing skepticism about the hair sample findings.
"Ryan & his team knew he would test positive that's why they did a ... 'hair test' on their own which who really knows if they did it," Haney wrote on X.
