Ryan Garcia, suspended for one year, has defeated Devin Haney and turned into a “competition.”

Written by: Sean Crose

Yesterday was clearly not a good day for Ryan Garcia. The controversial 25-year-old fighter was nearly booked by the New York State Athletic Commission for testing positive for the banned ostarine before and after his victory over Devin Haney in Brooklyn last spring. Not only was Haney's win overturned, Garcia was also suspended from fighting in New York (which means anywhere, since commissioners tend to stick with each other's decisions) for the rest of the year.

On top of all that, the boxer known as “King Ry” has to say goodbye to a lot of money. The million plus dollars that make up Haney's fight fund will be forfeited (Garcia ended up winning more for the fight, but a million dollars is a big loss no matter how you look at it). Finally, Garcia is also fined ten dollars for fighting a performance-enhancing drug in his system. Suffice it to say, Haney, who was completely crushed by Garcia in their April fight, was more than happy to have the loss changed to a “no contest” on the official record.

“I also thank the commission for doing the right thing and making the right decision,” said Haney on social media. Garcia, on the other hand, was clearly angry about the decision. “They took my victory,” he said on social media. “Okay, I'm retired and I'll be back next year.” Indeed, Garcia announced his retirement a day before the New York Commission's decision – a move that raised eyebrows because of its timing. However, Garcia had a lot to say, which was not at all surprising, since the striker is known for his many and sometimes shocking statements on social media.

“Take away my victory,” he said, “add that to the list of obscenities I'm already doing – I'm ready for business – Get ready, I'm not shy – Run if you see me. .” Garcia has also expressed a desire to move on to the UFC, the premier mixed martial arts league. “I'm headed to the UFC,” he said. “Dana is really white and hit me.” As is his wont, the now 24-1 striker continued to write furiously into Thursday evening.

Meanwhile, Garcia's promoter, Golden Boy (who will be getting Garcia's million and a dollar forfeit) presented the media with unity. “Ryan Garcia has been the victim of drug contamination,” the source said in a press release, “with levels estimated in the billions and billions of grams, giving nothing to the ring.” Golden Boy continued that “the fans will always remember the way he (Garcia) played with Haney as a professional, and that will never be erased.”