Ryan Garcia Says Banned Substance ‘Had No Impact’ on Devin Haney Beatdown

Ryan Garcia has reopened the controversy surrounding his failed drug tests against Devin Haney by insisting the banned substance found in his system had “no impact” on the fight.

Garcia made the claim after Jack Catterall branded him a “drug cheat” while discussing a potential fight with Haney.

Catterall praised Haney for facing anybody and said the three-weight world champion has no blemishes on his record.

“I respect Devin Haney, he’s a real one and he’s only lost to a drug cheat so he’s undefeated in my eyes,” Catterall stated.

Garcia didn’t take kindly to the description.

“You are an irreverent idiot,” Garcia responded. “You call me a cheat when it’s a fact that what was found in my system had no impact in the fight.

“Nor was I in shape for the fight, so what benefits did I take from anything?”

The exchange dragged one of Boxing’s most controversial results back into the spotlight more than two years after Garcia produced the performance of his career against Haney.

Ryan Garcia Denies Cheating Against Devin Haney

Garcia dropped Haney three times on April 20, 2024, on his way to a majority decision victory in New York.

The result was subsequently changed to a no-contest after Garcia tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine. He accepted a one-year suspension and forfeited his purse.

Garcia has always denied knowingly taking the substance and doubled down after his exchange with Catterall.

“Doesn’t mean I cheated – means I was contaminated or set up,” Garcia said.

“The amount found in my system was of ‘trace amounts’ so no I didn’t cheat because that means I intended to take steroids to win.”

Garcia also explained why he accepted his punishment rather than continuing to contest the case.

“I didn’t continue my case because they said no matter what you will be fined and suspended. So I decided not to fight the case and do my time.

“I never took anything and I either was set up or contaminated.”

Garcia’s contamination defense has previously been challenged by Victor Conte, a member of Haney’s team who has since passed away.

Conte questioned the testing of two unsealed supplements submitted by Garcia and later alleged possible tampering after manufacturers supplied sealed containers bearing the same lot numbers that tested negative for Ostarine.

Those remain allegations disputed by Garcia.

Garcia’s Career-Best Performance

Watching the fight live, Garcia gave the performance of his life that night.

He dropped an unbeaten triple-division ruler three times and turned a chaotic buildup into the defining performance of his career.

Garcia’s latest explanation does little to help his argument with those who remain unconvinced.

By his own admission, he wasn’t in shape.

That doesn’t establish that Garcia knowingly took Ostarine or that the substance affected his performance. Garcia says he wasn’t in shape, yet produced the finest performance of his career against one of boxing’s leading fighters.

He then served his suspension and returned against Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May 2025, when Garcia was dropped and lost a unanimous decision in a performance far removed from the one he produced against Haney.

None of that proves Garcia intentionally cheated. But there’s a lot of circumstance stacked against him in the court of public opinion, as Catterall’s comments demonstrated again.

More than two years later, Garcia remains adamant.

The substance was in his system. He says it had no impact on the fight and insists he never knowingly put it there.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

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