Boxing star Ryan Garcia has been suspended one year after he reached a settlement with the New York State Athletic Commission following his positive tests for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine, the commission told ESPN on Thursday, Report informs.
The suspension is retroactive to Garcia's April 20 decision victory over Devin Haney, which has been overturned to a no-contest.
Garcia, 25, also forfeited his purse, the commission said. His disclosed purse was $1.2 million, sources said, which is what he will give up, though his guaranteed earnings were millions more. The commission said it also fined Garcia $10,000.
"I want to thank the commission and the fans who stood by me during this whole process," Haney told ESPN during a phone interview Thursday. "The facts are the facts, and I wasn't on an even playing field. Happy I was able to receive justice for what happened. It's all part of my story and it's only going to make me better. I look to enjoy this time with my family and friends and see what's next.
"I'm a clean athlete and boxing is a brutal sport where one fight can literally change your life. I think it important for fighters to be clean and I want to become an advocate for clean athletes for my experience in this situation."
Garcia will be reinstated April 20, 2025, provided his urine test is returned with no banned substances, the commission said. The settlement with the commission to accept punishment means a hearing is avoided.
"It is a harsh result," Haney's attorney, Pat English, told ESPN. "I have never seen a $1.2 million forfeiture or anything remotely close to it."
Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator that attaches to proteins in the body and, in effect, tells muscles to grow. It can be used to aid performance by helping athletes build muscle mass and enhance their rate of fat loss and also to increase stamina and recovery ability. It has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list since 2008, and in 2022 was listed as an anabolic agent by WADA.