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It appeared Ryan Garcia beat Devin Haney when the two men met in the ring earlier this year before the fight was ruled a no-contest after the former tested positive for a banned substance, and the latter has used that failed screening as the justification for a lawsuit that was filed on Friday.
There was absolutely no love lost between Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia prior to their showdown at Barclays Center on April 20th, and there weren’t many people who thought Garcia had what it took to beat an undefeated opponent who headed into the bout for with WBC super lightweight title on the line as the overwhelming favorite.
Garcia’s worrying behavior in the lead-up to the fight had been a major cause for concern, and he was also forced to fork over $1.5 million by missing the 140 lb. weight requirement by three pounds a day before they were scheduled to meet in Brooklyn.
That misstep meant Garcia wouldn’t be able to win the belt even if he was able to pull off the unlikely victory—which is exactly what he was able to do after knocking Haney down three times during the 12-round marathon that ended with him earning the victory via majority decision.
However, the celebration was fairly short-lived, as the boxing match was declared a no-contest after a drug screening determined Garcia had ostarine (a banned substance linked to muscle growth) in his system on the day of the bout, and he was subsequently hit with a one-year suspension and a $1.2 million fine before claiming he’d decided to retire.
According to ESPN, Garcia could be forced to fork over even more cash based on the result of the lawsuit Haney filed against him (as well as Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions) on Friday that accuses his opponent of battery, fraud, and breach of contract due to the PED.
The filing asserts Garcia’s use of ostarine violated the rules of the fight and subjected Haney to a beating he would have never agreed to receive if he’d known about the use of the substance beforehand. It also argues he is entitled to “millions of dollars” that Garcia received from the purse while petitioning the court to place those funds in an escrow account as the case works its way through the system.
The 25-year old Haney has typically fought in multiple bouts each year since making his professional debut in 2015, but he’s yet to schedule one with another opponent since facing off against Garcia.