Boxing
Ryan Garcia requests B sample testing after failed drug test
Published
9 months agoon
By
J. HumzaStar boxing star Ryan Garcia requested analysis of his B sample on Monday, according to a letter obtained by ESPN, following unfavorable results in his A sample of the performance-enhancing drug Ostarine the day before and on the day of his upset victory over Devin Haney last month.
His lawyer, Darin Chavez, told ESPN on Tuesday that the B sample would be opened and analyzed on May 22. Chavez will witness the examination.
Garcia, 25, had until Saturday to submit his application. According to a letter from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association sent last Wednesday, Garcia’s A sample also tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, but its presence was not confirmed pending further laboratory analysis. Chavez said a report received Tuesday showed there was no 19-norandrosterone in Garcia’s system.
Chavez said this proves that “we are only dealing with a known supplement contamination on the order of a billionth of a gram that did not provide Ryan Garcia with any performance-enhancing benefits on fight night. Now we are waiting for the B sample to be tested for low-level Ostarine only on May 22.
“The result was negative 17 days earlier,” Chavez added.
Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) that attaches to proteins in the body and effectively orders muscle growth. It is used to enhance performance by helping athletes build muscle mass and raise the rate of fat loss, as well as to raise endurance and recovery capacity.
Ostarine has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances since 2008, and in 2022 it was included on the WADA list as an anabolic agent, the regulations of which state that collected urine samples should be divided into A and B bottles.
The B sample is a safeguard to ensure that if the initial A sample returns a positive result, there is no laboratory contamination or error. If the B sample comes back negative in this case, Garcia could be exonerated.
If the B sample also comes back positive, Garcia and his legal team will have to present arguments to prove his innocence. He faces suspension and a fine, and the result of his victory over Haney will be overturned if he is found guilty. The Fresh York State Athletic Commission told ESPN last week that it is “communicating with VADA and reviewing this matter.”
Garcia (25-1, 20 KO) appeared to suggest on social media that the adverse finding was the result of using Ashwagandha root, prompting the supplement’s manufacturer, Gaia Herbs, to issue a statement on Thursday saying that “contrary to any recent disturbances [it] does not contain Ostarine.”
“Everyone knows I don’t cheat,” Garcia said in an interview video posted on Wednesday on X, on the day the unfavorable result was disclosed. “I’ve never taken steroids. … I don’t even know where to get them. … I hardly take supplements.”
Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions said in a statement that it was working with Garcia’s team to “determine how this discovery occurred.”
“Who was caught doping and admitted to it? I think [Garcia] would be the first [athlete] ever,” Haney, 25, said on SportsCenter on Thursday. “… It wouldn’t be that right now [rematch] for me to have fun. This boy showed his character. He showed that he would do anything to win, including cheating. … He put my life in danger. So now it’s deeper than just boxing with me.”
Ostarine has been used in boxing before. Lucian Bute tested positive for the disease in 2016 after drawing with Badou Jack for the WBC super middleweight title. The result was changed to Jack winning by DQ.
Amir Khan has been banned for two years by the UK Anti-Doping Authority (UKAD) after testing positive for Ostarine following his sixth-round TKO loss to Kell Brook in 2022.
Garcia knocked down Haney three times during the majority victory. Garcia also lost weight before the fight, registering 143.2 pounds ahead of his WBC 140-pound title fight. Garcia paid Haney (31-1, 15 KO) over $600,000 for not gaining weight.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
4 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
6 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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