On April 20, Ryan Garcia defeated Devin Haney by majority decision. However, the bout was marred by controversies as Garcia weighed in three pounds over the 140-pound limit and tested positive for Ostarine in two separate drug tests before the fight.
Eddie Hearn, Devin Haney's promoter, expressed his fighter's frustrations on The Stomping Ground YouTube channel. "I spoke to Devin Haney last night. In his mind, he’s absolutely furious. [Garcia] came in three and a half pounds overweight and had performance-enhancing drugs in his system. [Haney] will want the contest to be an immediate no-contest, for that to be scrubbed off the card, but we will see what happens," said Hearn.
Hearn also underlined the gravity of the situation irrespective of Garcia's innocence or guilt. "Regardless of Ryan’s innocence or guilt in the situation, he had performance-enhancing drugs in his system when he fought Devin Haney, and he came in three and a half pounds over. If you’re Devin Haney right now, you’re thinking, ‘F*** me, I’ve been screwed,'" added Hearn.
The upcoming period will be crucial for Ryan Garcia and his team at Golden Boy Promotions headed by Oscar De La Hoya. They are expected to prove their case before the New York State Athletic Commission regarding how Garcia could unknowingly ingest or get contaminated with Ostarine.
Eddie Hearn's experience with clearing fighters' names after such allegations puts him in a critical position to handle Haney’s concerns adeptly while navigating through this sports legal turmoil. Historic cases involving fighters like Conor Benn with Chris Eubank Jr., and Dillian Whyte against Anthony Joshua offer some precedent, but each case brings unique trials.
