Ryan Garcia banned for one year, loses $1.1 million trophy after failing drug test

The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) has banned Ryan Garcia for one year and stripped him of his $1.1 million in prize money after he failed two doping tests for the banned substance Ostarine.

The suspension and other penalties were announced on Thursday and represent a severe blow to Garcia’s boxing career.

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Garcia’s failed tests came immediately after his victory over Devin Haney on April 20 in a pay-per-view fight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The NYSAC has since overturned the result of the fight and changed it to a no-contest. Consequently, Garcia’s record is 24-1 with 20 KOs, while Haney’s record drops to 31-0 with 15 KOs.

The commission had the option of losing Garcia by disqualification, but chose the more standard approach of not appealing the decision. The suspension is retroactive to April 20, allowing Garcia to reapply for a license on the same date in 2025. In addition, Garcia will be subject to random drug testing and must pass a test without a negative result before he can regain his license. The commission also fined Garcia $10,000, the maximum allowed.

By losing the purse, Golden Boy Promotions will get the base amount back, but Garcia will keep his share of the pay-per-view profits. These measures are part of a settlement between Garcia and the commission that avoided potentially harsher penalties.

“The New York State Athletic Commission has reached a settlement with Ryan Garcia following his April 20 fight at the Barclays Center,” the commission stated. “Pursuant to the consent order, Mr. Garcia is subject to the following actions: his win against Mr. Devin Haney has been changed to an official ‘no contest’; his purse has been forfeited; a $10,000 fine has been imposed; and his license to practice as a professional boxer in New York State is suspended until April 20, 2025, and until he provides the commission with a clean urinalysis. The commission will continue to hold athletes to the highest professional standards and protect the integrity of all sports under our jurisdiction.”

Less than a day before the commission’s announcement, Garcia declared on social media, “I am officially retired.” He later posted several messages expressing his frustration over the penalties, including, “I’m going to the UFC” and “You guys never went through what I went through. I’m innocent. You don’t know how I feel.”

It is worth noting that despite the NYSAC suspension, Garcia would still be banned from MMA competition.

Garcia’s legal team argued that the positive tests were due to contaminated supplements. The amounts detected were minimal and did not represent a competitive advantage. They emphasized Garcia’s history of voluntary random testing and his clean history. Despite their claims, New York’s strict liability rules hold Garcia responsible for any banned substances in his body.

It was found that another sample collected by NYSAC from Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, in addition to the two positive results confirmed by VADA.

Although Garcia won the fight in April, he was ineligible for the 140-pound title due to being overweight, a tactic he later admitted was intentional. In the lead-up to the fight, Garcia’s behavior caused a stir when he openly boasted about drinking and partying heavily, even drinking beer at the ceremonial weigh-in.

After the fight, Garcia’s life continued to spiral out of control. On June 8, he was arrested for vandalism at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills after allegedly causing $15,000 in damage, further complicating his already turbulent career.