Ryan Garcia #

Introduction #

Ryan Garcia is an American professional boxer whose defining victory was erased by a doping scandal in 2024. On June 20, 2024, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended Garcia for a year and ruled his April 20 majority-decision win over Devin Haney a no-contest after he tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance ostarine.

Background Information #

Garcia was born August 8, 1998, in Victorville, California, and started boxing at age seven, going on to become a 15-time national amateur champion with an amateur record of 215 wins and 15 losses. He turned professional at 17 on June 9, 2016, and signed with Golden Boy Promotions in November of that year. Known for his hand speed and large social media following, Garcia stopped Romero Duno in the first round in November 2019 to capture the WBC Silver lightweight title and knocked out Luke Campbell in January 2021 to win the vacant WBC interim lightweight title. His first professional loss came in April 2023, when Gervonta Davis stopped him in the seventh round of a pay-per-view fight that reportedly sold 1.2 million buys.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Garcia signed to fight Devin Haney for the WBC super lightweight title on April 20, 2024, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Two days before the bout, he agreed to pay Haney $500,000 for every pound he exceeded the weight limit; he weighed in at 143.2 pounds, 3.2 pounds over the division limit, which downgraded the fight to a non-title bout and cost him up to $600,000 of his purse. Garcia nonetheless won by majority decision (114–110, 115–109, 112–112), knocking Haney down in rounds 7, 10, and 11 and handing the previously undefeated champion the first defeat of his professional career.

On May 1, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association notified all involved parties that Garcia had tested positive for ostarine in samples collected the day before and the day of the fight. Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator, banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose use can stimulate muscle growth.

On June 20, 2024, NYSAC ruled the fight a no-contest, suspended Garcia for a minimum of one year from the date of the fight, ordered him to forfeit his contracted purse of $1.1 million, and fined him $10,000, the state maximum. He could fight again in New York after April 20, 2025, if he passed a drug test; although the suspension applied only in New York, athletic commissions typically abide by other jurisdictions’ rulings.

Garcia denied the finding, posting on X before the news broke that he was retiring and writing, “I really hope boxing good without me… I fought everyone and was willing to. They have turned there (sic) back on me. I’m innocent. I stand by that I don’t care what everyone says. Gun yo my head I say I didn’t take PED’s.” His attorneys said Garcia “was a victim of substance contamination” and that “he never intentionally took any banned substance. It’s simply not in his nature.”

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The commission said in a statement: “The Commission will continue to hold athletes to the highest professional standards and protect the integrity of all sports under our jurisdiction.” Haney thanked the commission in a statement to ESPN, saying, “The facts are the facts and I wasn’t on an even playing field. Happy I was able to receive justice for what happened. It’s all part of my story and it’s only going to make me better.” Haney also filed a civil complaint against Garcia alleging battery, fraud, and breach of contract, which was later settled and dismissed.

Within weeks, Garcia’s legal and reputational troubles multiplied. On July 4, 2024, WBC president Mauricio Sulaimán expelled Garcia after he used racial slurs against Black people and disparaged Muslims in comments livestreamed on social media; Sulaimán said Garcia had declined multiple WBC attempts to help with his mental health and substance abuse. Garcia’s family said he had “been open about his ongoing struggle with mental health over the years” and that they were committed to his care. The same month, he posted homophobic remarks on X, writing “I don’t support the LGBTQ + – whatever the fuck at all, fuck you guys rot in hell.” In June 2024, Garcia was arrested after damaging a room and hallway at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, with the hotel estimating $15,000 in damage; the next month he was charged with one misdemeanor count of vandalism. His ex-wife Andrea Celina also accused him of breaking into her home and smashing her belongings, posting screenshots of text messages she said showed aggressive, alcohol-fueled behavior.

Current Status #

As of the most recent reporting in the fetched sources, Garcia’s suspension had ended and his career had resumed. On April 23, 2025, BoxingScene confirmed that NYSAC had officially removed Garcia from suspension, with a commission spokesperson saying, “The suspension has been lifted. All conditions of the consent order have been met.” The consent order required random drug testing during the suspension. Garcia’s position shifted in 2025 after a deal with Riyadh Season, whose events require VADA testing, with supplemental testing by the California State Athletic Commission reported to NYSAC. Garcia returned to the ring on May 2, 2025, in a Times Square main event against Rolando Romero, losing by unanimous decision after being knocked down in round 2. Later reporting records Garcia winning the WBC welterweight title over Mario Barrios on February 21, 2026, with a title defense against mandatory challenger Conor Benn scheduled for September 12, 2026.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The no-contest ruling stripped Garcia of the signature win of his career, restoring Haney’s undefeated record and leaving his record with a no-contest beside his first loss. The fallout was severe: forfeiture of his seven-figure purse, a state-maximum fine, a minimum one-year ban from competing anywhere in the United States under the settlement with NYSAC, and expulsion from the WBC. The vandalism charge and repeated outbursts kept him on boxing’s wrong side for months; the WBC lifted his ban in November 2025. Even so, the suspension proved temporary rather than terminal: Garcia cleared the conditions of his consent order, returned against Romero in 2025, and by early 2026 had won the WBC welterweight title.