The New York State Athletic Commission is set to convene this week to discuss the fate of Ryan Garcia after his three-knockdown triumph over WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney was scarred by two positive drug tests for a banned performance-enhancing substance, BoxingScene learned Tuesday.
Southern California’s Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) confronts a fine, a lengthy suspension and the overturning of his triumph over Haney (31-1, 15 KOs) by the commission.
Haney’s attorney, Pat English, previously urged the New York commission to go beyond labeling the bout a no-contest and to disqualify Garcia, meaning the outcome would be recorded as a Haney victory and a defeat for Garcia.
While Garcia’s attorney Darin Chavez told BoxingScene Tuesday that Garcia’s legal team had not been informed of a formal hearing date, a regulator in contact with the New York commission said the matter will be discussed by week’s end.
Garcia has repeatedly denied knowingly ingesting any banned substances. His “B” samples also tested positive.
Garcia has behaved erratically both before and after his April power display in the ring, when he wobbled former amateur rival Haney with two left hooks in the first round and proceeded to drop him three times to gain a stunning majority decision victory.
The outcome was especially surprising given Garcia’s reckless pre-fight antics, including missing weight by more than three pounds to eliminate his chance to win the belt, jokingly drinking from a beer bottle while stepping on the scale at the ceremonial weigh-in and seeming to take training lightly under respected cornerman Derrick James.
Following the bout, Garcia’s behavior has only grown more outrageous, as he’s called out several fighters, alleged the supplements he took before the fight were contaminated and then was arrested in Beverly Hills, California, earlier this month for felony vandalism at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
At Saturday night’s Gervonta “Tank” Davis-Frank Martin bout, Garcia had beer thrown on him by former super middleweight champion Caleb Plant after Garcia made derogatory comments about Plant’s wife, Premier Boxing Champions/Prime Video reporter Jordan Plant.
During fight week, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman told BoxingScene that Garcia faces a Friday deadline to turn in documents to the WBC as it considers whether to suspend him from WBC-sanctioned bouts.
Sulaiman said he wants the best for Garcia, but says the 25-year-old fighter is living “too fast” now, incessantly posting on social media and spewing hateful comments and revealing troubling behavior.
“We need to help him get it right. When you have money and people around you who love to spend that money and enjoy that money, it’s not good,” Sulaiman said.
“I was at the Hall of Fame in Canastota (earlier this month), and it is troubling to see how the fighters end up without money.”
Sulaiman said his organization has helped another high-profile fighter who veered into trouble, when former super-middleweight champion David Benavidez tested positive for cocaine and proceeded to become a devout family man and become one of the sport’s most successful athletes.
“It’s not easy,” Sulaiman said. “I’ve talked to (Garcia). He needs to understand that there’s a life that can be out there with beauty. He talks a lot about God. He’s very God-oriented, but his actions need to be consistent with a God-ly life. That’s what it seems. He’s likable. I truly hope it will (make a difference).
“He’s a young kid with a style of life that is so fast … social media and the pressure that comes with it. I really hope he will find the way to recover in all aspects.”
By Lance Pugmire