Devin Haney has officially requested the New York State Athletic Commission to declare Ryan Garcia ineligible after Garcia’s victory on April 20 was marred by a positive drug test.

Haney’s lawyer, Pat English, cited prior cases and explained why the request is valid in an eight-page letter to the commission’s top officials. If granted, this decision would declare Haney the victor of the fight and not just a participant in an inconclusive event, while Garcia would be credited with a loss if disqualified.

There is a blemish on Mr. Haney’s record,” English wrote in the letter. “He was placed in an unsafe fight under NYSAC jurisdiction. The bout was made a mockery and in addition to the PED use and prohibited use of IV’s, after the bout, Mr. Garcia admitted that missing weight was a tactic to give him an unfair advantage.

“As there was no second-day weigh in required by the commission, thus it is impossible to know what he weighed on fight night. This is why, after setting forth the facts below we request that Mr. Garcia be disqualified, which is more fitting than a no-contest in this situation.”

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association(VADA) revealed recently that Garcia was found to have the prohibited substance ostarine in his system on the day before and the day of the fight.

The shocking news came after a series of unusual behaviors from Garcia, aged 25, leading up to the match, including being significantly overweight during the weigh-in. Despite knocking down WBC lightweight champion Haney multiple times in the fight, Garcia claims he was unaware of consuming any banned substances and suggested a conspiracy theory involving Victor Conte amongst others. and that someone tampered with his sample intentionally.

The New York commission has not yet scheduled a date to decide Garcia’s future, but they have the ability to fine and suspend him. Attorney English has pointed out precedents in Olympic sports and the case of boxer Lucian Bute who tested positive for ostarine after a 2016 bout in Washington, D.C. By urging New York to take stronger action against Garcia, English highlights the dangers of performance-enhancing substances in boxing and the importance of athletes committing to drug-free competition through agreements and testing protocols.

Ryan Garcia has requested testing of his “B” sample , the results are expected on May 22nd, just days away.

Following the match, “Garcia publicly admitted to lying about his weight to gain a competitive edge over Haney”, English wrote in his letter to the commission. “Had Garcia been honest about his intentions, Haney would not have gone ahead with the fight or would have taken measures to protect himself.”

English went on to say, “Ostarine is sold on the black market for its performance enhancing properties. At no time did Devin Haney consent to engage in a bout against a boxer who was positive for a performance-enhancing drug, and would not have proceeded with the bout had he known. The New York State Athletic Commission would not have permitted the bout had it known of the positive finding.

“Representatives of Mr. Garcia have publicly suggested that the Ostarine was found in trace amounts. In fact, while there are a couple of Commissions in the United States which permit trace amounts of Ostarine [and New York, WADA and VADA are not among them], the samples quantities [were] 35 to 60 times the amount considered in those jurisdictions to be trace amounts.”

In his letter, English also attached a purported YouTube video of Garcia taking fluid with a “yellowish tinge” through an IV, writing, “IV’s are a well-known way to avoid positive drug tests as they dilute the urine.”

In closing English said “In this context, the commission has full authority to issue a disqualification. That would change the bout to a win for Mr. Haney by disqualification. On behalf of Mr. Haney, we request that change in addition to such suspension as deemed appropriate by the commission.”

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By Vincent Quezada

Photos Courtesy of Getty Images