Boxer Ryan Garcia faces possible suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission after positive test

Correction/Clarification: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated who tested boxer Ryan Garcia’s B samples. The tests were conducted by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory.

Ryan Garcia’s B samples from doping tests conducted the day before and the day of the boxer’s fight against Devin Haney on April 20 came back positive for the banned substance Ostarine, according to attorney Pat English, who is representing Haney.

English said he was informed of the lab results on Thursday after the B samples were tested. The Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory, commissioned by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) and accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency, conducted the tests.

Garcia won the fight by majority decision.

Garcia’s legal team said the positive test for Ostarine was due to a contaminated dietary supplement. “Ryan Garcia is committed to clean and fair competition and has never intentionally used banned substances,” Garcia’s legal team said in a statement. “Shortly after being informed of his positive test, Ryan voluntarily had his hair collected and sent to Dr. Pascal Kintz, the leading expert in toxicology and hair sample analysis. The results of Ryan’s hair sample came back negative.”

“This is consistent with contamination and provides verifiable evidence that Ryan was not taking Ostarine for any period of time – the only way he would have had any advantage in the ring.” Ryan has voluntarily submitted to testing throughout his career, which has always returned negative results. He also tested negative several times in the lead-up to the Haney fight. All of these factors, along with his extremely low levels from the samples taken on April 19 and 20 (in the billionths of a gram range), indicate that Ryan is a victim of supplement contamination and never received any performance-enhancing benefit from the microscopic amounts in his body. We are certain that one of the natural supplements Ryan took in the lead-up to the fight will turn out to be contaminated and are currently testing the supplements to determine the exact source.”

Garcia’s A samples were positive and the boxer took the option to have the B samples collected the day before and on the day of the fight tested.

Garcia denied taking steroids and wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, “Let’s think positive” and “I don’t care, I’m never making money from boxing again.”

Ostarine is the brand name for a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that is not approved for human use or consumption in the United States or any other country, according to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). It is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Victor Conte, who advises Haney, said Haney told him Thursday that Garcia’s B sample tested positive for the banned substance. English said he informed Haney of the results but did not speak to Conte.

English also said that the matter will now be brought before the New York State Athletic Commission since the fight took place in New York.

“The typical case would be that they would issue a suspension,” English said, adding that Garcia could opt for a hearing.

The Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lawyer says Ryan Garcia tested positive for banned substance in retest