Ryan Garcia drugs test: Boxer claims 'contamination' as B-sample from Devin Haney fight is positive

The B-sample of Ryan Garcia's failed drugs test has also come back positive, but the boxer's legal team insist he is innocent after receiving negative results on a hair sample.

Garcia produced the biggest victory of his career last month, upsetting the odds to take down WBC super-lightweight champion Devin Haney.

However, Haney retained his title despite suffering the first loss of his pro career - billed as a 'Game 7', having gone 3-3 with his rival in the amateurs - in bizarre circumstances.

Garcia lost his shot at taking the belt a day earlier on the scales, missing the 140-pound weight limit by three pounds, which meant his stunning performance was in vain.

'King Ry' knocked Haney down three times en route to a majority-decision win, bouncing back from a knockout loss to Gervonta 'Tank' Davis a year prior.

The build-up to both the Davis and Haney fights was similarly fraught with controversy and concerning comments, so much so that the New York State Athletic Commission had him undergo a "mental health evaluation" to "protect the safety of all participants".

Though Garcia overcame the criticism and the daunting task of facing the former undisputed lightweight king, the plaudits rapidly halted after he tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug ostarine.

Ostarine, also the PED Amir Khan had in his system during his defeat to Kell Brook in 2022, which led to a two-year ban from the sport, is known to improve stamina, fat loss and muscle gain.

On Thursday evening, Garcia's A-sample was confirmed with the B-sample, leading to a swift response from his legal team, who claimed "contamination" was to blame.

They told World Boxing News: "Soon after being notified of his positive test, Ryan voluntarily had his hair collected and shipped to Dr. Pascal Kintz, the foremost expert in toxicology and hair-sample analysis.

"The results of Ryan’s hair sample came back negative. This is consistent with contamination and demonstrably proves that Ryan had not ingested ostarine over a period of time - the only way he would have had any advantage whatsoever in the ring.

"He also tested negative multiple times leading up to the fight against Haney. All of these factors, combined with his ultra-low levels from samples taken on April 19th and 20th [in the billionth of a gram range], point to Ryan being a victim of supplement contamination and never receiving any performance-enhancing benefit from the microscopic amounts in his system.

"We are certain that one of the natural supplements Ryan was using in the lead-up to the fight will prove to be contaminated and are in the process of testing the supplements to determine the exact source."

While other recent high-profile failed drugs tests in boxing - such as Dillian Whyte (2023) and Conor Benn (2022) - have led to the subject staying away from the limelight during ongoing investigations, Garcia has maintained a public presence.

In addition to his social media activity, the Californian was in Saudi Arabia last week for the undisputed heavyweight title showdown between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, conducting a series of interviews in which he referred to the drug as "ostrich".

Beyond that, Garcia was this week seen singing and eating with an orangutan in a car, while previously stating in interviews he was "drinking every day and smoking weed" in the run-up to the Haney bout.

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