Devin Haney releases statement on Ryan Garcia’s positive drug tests: ‘People die in this sport’
Devin Haney is not happy about Ryan Garcia’s positive drug tests nor how Garcia has reacted to the situation.
On Wednesday night, it was reported that Garcia tested positive for the banned substance ostarine in two drug tests with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) — both in a pre-fight test on April 19, and a post-fight test on April 20. Garcia denied the result on social media, via multiple tweets and a Twitter Spaces he hosted. “King Ryan” defeated Haney in their heated April 20 contest in Brooklyn via majority decision in a major upset.
Following news of Garcia’s drug test failures, Haney released a statement:
“We learned about this situation not too long ago and it’s unfortunate Ryan cheated and disrespected both the fans, and the sport of boxing by fighting dirty and breaking positive not once, but twice,” Haney said in a statement to ESPN, which he also shared on his Instagram stories.
“I’ve always been an advocate for clean fighting and this is an example of such. Ryan owes the fans an apology, and by his recent tweet, he still thinks this is a joke. We put our lives on the line to entertain people for a living. We don’t play boxing.
“This puts the fight in a completely different light. Despite the disadvantage, I still fought on my shield and got back up.
“People die in this sport. This is not a joking matter.”
Garcia also missed weight ahead of the highly anticipated matchup, which was to be for Haney’s WBC super lightweight title (Garcia’s miss made him ineligible to win the belt). The circumstances have made the storyline with Haney one of the weirdest and wildest in recent memory in the sport of boxing. As of now, it is unknown if Garcia’s win will stand as he has a 10-day window to request a B-sample tests.
The loss was Haney’s first as a pro boxer after winning his first 31 bouts.