What Is Ostarine? Ryan Garcia Reportedly Fails Doping Test Related to the Devin Haney Fight

It seems like trouble has been waiting all along. Lying somewhere in the shadows, holding on for an opportune time to strike. It appeared that everything had been going right for Ryan Garcia. He turned the tables literally on everyone. After months of outlandish online behavior, Garcia scored an out-and-out victory over Devin Haney. But a fresh news report poses a great threat to his hot-off-the-fire stardom. A dampener on his return as one of the ‘faces of boxing’.

Citing information he received from sources, Dan Rafael‘s latest tweet suggests ‘KingRy’ might have failed to clear a voluntary drug test, as instituted by the VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) for the Haney match. It appears that his samples reported the presence of banned performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), in particular ‘Ostarine’. The drug is considered an anabolic SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator), and isn’t approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It seemingly aids in muscle growth.

Dark Clouds Loom: Ryan Garcia’s Victory Faces Scrutiny

Happy Punch, through its official X/Twitter account, messaged, “Ryan Garcia tested positive for a banned PED in a VADA test for the Devin Haney fight, according to @DanRafael1 sources.” So what did Rafael mention? He said, “Per multiple sources with knowledge of the results, Ryan Garcia tested positive for the banned PED Ostarine in a VADA test related to the Haney fight.“

ESPN‘s Mike Coppinger also shared an update on the upsetting bit of news. According to his tweet, found with ‘Ostarine’, the former interim lightweight champion reportedly failed to clear the test on the day preceding as well as the fight day. For the source, he cited a VADA letter that ESPN came to have.

“Garcia has 10 days to request his B-sample be tested. A-sample also screened positive for 19-norandrosterone but unconfirmed,” Coppinger added further. Reacting to his tweet, while one of the users checked for the applicable penalties with Coppinger, another remarked, “This could be one of the most insane reverse uno cards in boxing history, lol.”

The young boxer from California seemingly went on the offensive, denying the veracity of the test result. Especially, he questioned it’s timing. Why did they wait for so long and allow him to fight if they had the details earlier? So what would happen if Ryan Garcia is found guilty?

Precedents to Ponder

One thing is certain: if confirmed, the outcome of the match with Devin Haney may change to either ‘DQ’ (disqualification) or ‘NC” (no contest). For instance, in another tweet, Mike Coppinger shared an instance of the 2016 fight between Lucian Bute and Badou Jack. Tested positive for ‘Ostarine’ after the WBC super middleweight title bout went for a draw, Bute lost the fight after he was disqualified.

The most recent case is that of former world champion Amir Khan. Roughly a year after he lost the grudge match to Kell Brooks, UKAD (United Kingdom Anti-Doping) handed over a two-year ban to ‘King’ Khan after he returned a positive test result for ‘Ostarine’. The ruling, backdated to April 2022, came after Khan announced his retirement from the sport.

Fans would be eagerly watching out for this space and more stories unfolding in the Ryan Garcia saga.

What’s your take on the shocking news? Please share your thoughts and views with us in the comments below.