Ryan Garcia is currently banned until April 2025 due to doping. This does not prevent the 26-year-old professional boxing scandal noodle from announcing his comeback in December.
Things have been quiet around Ryan Garcia in recent months. No wonder: the 26-year-old is still banned for six months for doping. Now King Ry is back – not in Ring Magazine or on ESPN, but on the sports pages of the US celebrity and gossip portal TMZ.com. Garcia announced there that he would be returning to the ring before his ban expires. “You’ll see me fight in December. It’s going to be a big fight, so get ready!” he is quoted as saying there with his usual big mouth.
Positive doping test
Garcia is still banned until June 2025 for taking banned Ostarin. The doping agent, which promotes muscle development and increases strength, was detected in a urine sample that he gave after his fight against Devin Haney on April 20. As a result, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended him for a year in April. He was stripped of his victory over Haney, as well as the prize money for the win. Garcia continues to claim that he did not deliberately dope, but that he took a contaminated dietary supplement.
Where does Ryan Garcia want to box?
Despite the ban, he is convinced that he will soon be able to get back into the ring. As he is not allowed to fight in the USA until April 2025, it is unclear where his announced fight could take place. One possibility would be an appearance abroad, where different rules apply. Rumors are also circulating that Garcia could take part in an unregulated event or even an MMA fight instead of a regular boxing match.
State of health
It’s been a long time since Ryan Garcia made sporting headlines. Instead, he repeatedly attracted attention around the Haney fight with negative comments and questionable actions. The WBC had excluded Garcia due to racist remarks. In addition to several accusations of vandalism, his private life was also in the spotlight. In July, his ex-partner obtained a restraining order against him. She accused him of threatening her brother and sending her family serious threats by text message. Due to his sometimes confused statements on his social media channels, there was speculation that Garcia had serious mental health problems.
Garcia is now causing a stir again with his announcement that he will return to the ring this year. It remains to be seen whether he can actually put his plans into action – and whether he is once again entering legal gray areas to do so. Or whether it is just another thoughtless statement made on a whim.
Text: Andreas Ohlberger