Ryan Garcia takes big step following positive drug test

Ryan Garcia speaks at a press conference at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on April 18, 2024. Photo Credit: Golden Boy/Cris Esqueda

Ryan Garcia has taken a big step regarding his positive drug test.

Garcia’s camp on Monday sent in a letter to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) requesting that his B-sample be analyzed. The request comes less than a week after news went public that a drug test sample he submitted prior to the fight tested positive for the performance-enhancing substance Ostarine. Garcia’s A-sample also screened positive for 19-Norandrosterone, but the presence of the substance could not be confirmed as of now.

Drug test subjects have two samples collected, an A and a B. The A-sample gets tested. The B-sample is preserved in the case the A-sample yields a positive test. If the A-sample tests positive, the B-sample can then be analyed upon request. If the B-sample comes back negative for performance-enhancing substances, that could indicate the A-sample was contaminated at the lab or tested positive in error.

Garcia has insisted he did not take illegal substances and is hoping his B-sample turns up negative to help clear his name.

Garcia upset Devin Haney in their April 20 bout at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. But his positive test for a banned substance has put his victory into question.