WBC and New York Commission Could Work Together On A Hearing For Ryan Garcia

The WBC is awaiting correspondence from Ryan Garcia’s lawyers before deciding how best to deal with the fighter’s two positive tests for PEDs.

Yesterday (Thursday, May 23), Garcia’s “B” samples were revealed to be positive for Ostarine, the same as his initial samples around his fight with Devin Haney at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Garcia’s tests were taken the day before and the day of the Haney fight (April 19, and April 20). Garcia came in more than three pounds overweight, dropped Haney three times and won on points. Haney wants the decision reversed. Garcia has protested his innocence.

“The WBC has a protocol to follow on any anti-doping situation,” said WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman. “We are following that, and we sent a letter to Ryan Garcia’s attorney, and he requested additional time to put all the information together, waiting for today’s [“B” samples] result – which has now been publicised. We are in process, of the WBC, through the protocol.”

Because the fight was in New York, it is also down to the New York State Athletic Commission to complete due process and determine Garcia’s future, although the WBC will also have their say, because Garcia was tested as part of their Clean Boxing Program.

“It was all part of the promotion with VADA and the Clean Boxing Program, so there are fights like this one in which the promoter contracts the fight to be with testing out of competition and in competition,” Sulaiman added. 

“The New York boxing commission, which is the jurisdiction where the fight took place, will also have a ruling on the matter, so at this moment we are working on [it]. Everything that has to do with the case is considered in our WBC position. 

“I don’t speculate [about what might happen]. The protocol is very clear. You can read it on the WBC web page. The WBC will have a ruling and the ruling goes from [a] warning to suspension, to fines, to so many different things. I don’t want to speculate, but the WBC does have a protocol to assess a ruling on a situation like this.”

Sulaiman was unaware whether the New York State Athletic Commission tested Garcia ahead of or around the fight independently, but said the WBC and the NYSAC could work together on an outcome.

“I don’t know if he [Garcia] will have a hearing with New York,” Sulaiman added. “We have a process going with the WBC. It could be a joint hearing, jointly-processed, but at this time the important thing to have everything started was the opening of the “B” sample, which has been finalised. 

“We can consider the elements discussed in a hearing [with New York] as part of what we need, or we can have a different hearing.”