Ryan Garcia’s use of an IV during the build-up to fighting Devin Haney is part of a New York State Athletic Commission letter citing Lance Armstrong as an example.
Haney’s lawyer sent the lengthy report to the NYSAC as part of a complaint over not only the IVs but a campaign to prove Garcia’s innocence of doping. Garcia tested positive for ostarine twice, before and after his victory over Haney on April 20. The Golden Boy star has since claimed a hair follicle sample was clean and that the supplements he used in the camp were contaminated.
Not only have Haney’s team made strong cases to throw both of those testing procedures out, but they have also flagged the IV use, which the NYSAC prohibits.
“In our initial submission, we referenced a video of Ryan Garcia taking an IV containing a yellowish fluid. The collection forms signed by Mr. Garcia on April 19 and April 20 reflect that he was continuing IV infusions through those dates. Of course, the Haney/Garcia bout was on April 20. his has tremendous and multi-faceted implications. First, infusions are prohibited by NYAC regulations, VADA regulations, and by WADA regulations. And WBC Regulations. A video of Mr. Garcia receiving an IV of a fluid with a yellowish tinge may be found [on a DAZN build-up episode] at minutes 2:29 through 3:37. This is in addition to the disclosures on the collection forms.
“Infusions are generally prohibited in sports because they are masking agents. This is common knowledge, and, for instance, this is how Lance Armstrong [as an example] avoided detection for so long.
“As we noted earlier in this letter, the use of IVs has numerous implications. First, Garcia cannot argue that he was unaware that he was using a prohibited method. He could not be oblivious to the needle sticking out of his arm. The fact that he was only caught with Osterine in his system in the last two tests or ostensibly small amounts is explained by the use of IVs as a masking technique.
“Please note
in all of the public statements by the Garcia team, no explanation is given for the use of IVs, and there is no claim that he had a medical exemption to use them. Secondly, another reason for the prohibition of boxing is that IVs are used as a rehydration method. Please recall that Garcia missed weight after representations by his team that he was making weight.
“While Mr. Haney was aware of this fact, he was not aware that Garcia was rehydrating using a prohibited method.”
They added by pointing further to Armstrong in stating: “The following is from the USADA investigative report on Lance Armstrong describing how Armstrong cheated:
“Use of saline infusions and micro-doping of EPO The USPS team made regular use of saline infusions, a prohibited method, which permits a rider to quickly reduce his hematocrit level to beat the UCI’s health check 50% hematocrit threshold and to fool the biological passport program. One of the bolder examples of the use of saline to fool the testers was at the 1998 World Championships when Armstrong’s doctor literally smuggled past a UCI official a liter of saline concealed under his raincoat and administered it to Armstrong to lower his hematocrit right before a blood check.
“As long as the riders had adequate advance notice of a blood test [and only about twenty minutes was needed], a saline infusion could eliminate almost entirely any potential for a negative consequence from a blood transfusion. A simple strategy at races was to “have the guys with lower hematocrit be tested first. By the time the testers got to those with a higher hematocrit there. There would be plenty of time for a saline infusion and the opportunity to drink plenty of water to dilute the urine sample and reduce hematocrit.
“Similarly, IVs dilute the urine. It is clear that Mr. Haney would have taken steps to protect himself [i.e., a second-day weigh-in] or even canceled the bout entirely had he known that prohibited rehydration methods were being used. He had no way of knowing of the IVs, which would have been undetected but for the positive result, at which time they were disclosed to the Commission.”
Garcia and his team have yet to respond publicly to the NYSAC complaint.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
