Ryan Garcia, a prominent figure in the boxing world, has been expelled by the World Boxing Council (WBC) following a series of hateful remarks on social media. This decision comes on the heels of a one-year suspension handed down by the New York State Athletic Commission due to an anti-doping violation. The WBC’s president, Mauricio Sulaiman, made the announcement, emphasizing the organization’s zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination.
Garcia, who has a record of 24 wins, one loss, and one no-contest, found himself in hot water after using racial slurs and Islamophobic language on X’s spaces platform, which allows live audio conversations. In a now-deleted post, Garcia attempted to downplay his comments, stating, “I was trolling, I want all the killing to stop. I love everyone, sorry if I offended you.” Despite this apology, the damage was done, and the WBC took swift action.
“Exercising my authority as president of the WBC, I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization,” Sulaiman said in a statement. “We reject any form of discrimination.” The expulsion means Garcia will no longer be able to participate in any WBC-sanctioned events or activities, a significant blow to his career.
The controversy surrounding Garcia doesn’t end with his social media remarks. He recently tested positive for a banned substance, Ostarine, before and after his April 20 fight against Devin Haney. Garcia’s legal team has argued that the positive test results were due to supplement contamination. According to a statement from his attorneys, samples of two supplements declared by Garcia on VADA Doping Control Forms tested positive for Ostarine contamination. The supplements in question were NutraBIO super carb raspberry lemonade and strawberry-flavored Body Heath Perfect Amino.
Garcia’s legal team provided “confidential test reports” showing Ostarine was detected in both supplements. The testing was conducted by Sports Medicine Research & Testing, a lab used by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA), which oversaw the drug testing for the Garcia-Haney fight. Despite the positive test results, Garcia has vehemently denied any intentional use of banned substances.
“This confirms what we have consistently maintained: Ryan was a victim of supplement contamination and has never intentionally used any banned or performance-enhancing substances,” the statement from Garcia’s attorneys read. “Any claims to the contrary, questioning Ryan’s integrity as a clean fighter, are unequivocally false and defamatory.”
The New York State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the fight, will hear the matter. The commission has not yet responded to requests for comment. Garcia’s legal team emphasized his commitment to fair and clean competition, noting that he has voluntarily submitted to numerous tests throughout his career, all of which have returned negative results. They also pointed out that multiple negative tests leading up to his fight against Haney further affirm his clean record.
“The ultra-low levels of Ostarine detected in his samples, in the billionth of a gram range, along with his clean hair sample, proves contamination rather than intentional ingestion. The recent test results reiterate this,” the statement read.
Garcia’s family has also weighed in on the controversy, distancing themselves from his remarks. In a statement, they said, “Our family unequivocally does not support any statements [Garcia] has made regarding race or religion — these do not reflect who Ryan truly is and how he was raised.”
The expulsion from the WBC and the one-year suspension from the New York State Athletic Commission mark a significant setback for Garcia, who was once considered one of the rising stars in boxing. His upset victory over former undisputed lightweight champion Devin Haney has been overturned to a no-contest, further tarnishing his record.
As the boxing community grapples with the fallout from Garcia’s actions, the focus now shifts to how he will respond and whether he can rehabilitate his image. The WBC’s decision to expel him underscores the importance of maintaining integrity and respect within the sport, setting a precedent for how such issues will be handled in the future.
Source: USA TODAY, BBC Sport, Fox News
