After testing positive for PEDS, controversy has marred boxing superstar Ryan Garcia. Following the positive tests, questions followed Garcia and investigations began into how Garcia got the substances in his body. Garcia has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has claimed to be the victim of boxing corruption. Yesterday also saw Garcia take to social media to proclaim he’s retiring. This may have been because he had a hearing and ruling from the New York State Athletic Commission.
Ryan Garcia’s Punishment
Today, the NYSAC made their ruling Dan Rafael broke the news on Twitter. A settlement agreement was made between Garcia’s legal team and the NYSAC. This settlement notably includes a one-year boxing suspension for Ryan Garcia. This seems a fair punishment considering this is Garcia’s first offence in testing positive for PEDs.
On top of that, there have been financial implications. Garcia will forfeit $1.1 million of his contracted fight purse to Golden Boy, with a percentage going to Devin Haney’s team, and will be fined $10,000.
Finally, one of the most significant parts of this ruling is the result of the fight, which will be overturned to a no contest. This must be music to Haney’s ears who suffered his first official loss to Garcia. The result being overturned is only right given the fact Garcia was on banned substances for the fight.
What this means is we likely won’t see Garcia in the ring for a year or potentially longer. It also means Haney will no longer have the loss on his record.
Garcia, it’s safe to say, did not take the news well. The star took to Twitter, which he often has been doing, to express his disapproval. We would be here all day if I listed all his tweets. So to summarise, he insists he’s innocent and that he’s being wronged. He also brings up betting and how those who won and lost money need to be refunded.
Garcia’s legal team released a more appropriate and coherent response to the ruling. They maintain Garcia’s innocence and that he did not intentionally take PEDs, citing his previously unblemished record of tests. They also discuss his achievements and how he will be back which likely will happen.
Something that is also of note is Garcia started mentioning the UFC and wanting to fight there during his suspension. He said, “I’m headed to the UFC,” and asked Dana, “For real Dana White, hit me up”. This is very bizarre given Garcia is a career-long boxer and should be taken with more than a grain of salt. Garcia would be a big name, however, he is not an MMA fighter and has likely only ever done boxing training. So he’d be unequipped to fight in any MMA organisation, let alone the UFC.
We will most likely see Garcia sit out and talk trash from the sidelines as he waits for his suspension to end. The time off could be useful for Garcia in terms of getting to improve on his boxing. Although Garcia had success against Haney and has good attributes, mainly his speed and athleticism, he can still work on the more technical side of his game. We shall see how the time off impacts Garcia and how he looks on his return.
Featured image credit to Embed from Getty Images