What is Ostarine and the way could a boxer cheat with it?

Ryan Garcia tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine twice the day before and the day of his surprise win over Devin Haney on April 20, in accordance with a letter from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association to each fighters and others involved.

The original report comes from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.

Continuing in a profane tirade X’s SpacesGarcia denied taking performance-enhancing drugs. In a more controlled response, Garcia posted this somewhat tamer video to his X account, expressing his feelings in regards to the reports of his failed drug tests.

Garcia continued make fun of the news with additional comments on the matter hours after the data was shared throughout the sports world.

What is Ostarine?

Accordingly WebMD“Ostarine is a type of medication called a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). It is not FDA-approved but is sometimes found in dietary supplements.”

Garcia mentioned the dietary complement ashwagandha as a possible offender for the failed drug test. The influence of ashwagandha on VADA testing is unclear. However, as a long-time martial arts journalist Kevin Iole posted on XThe amounts present in Garcia’s system could indicate whether or not the degrees indicate contamination from a dietary complement.

“Ostarine binds to proteins in the body known as androgen receptors,” the WebMD review continues. “When ostarine binds to these receptors, it tells the muscles to grow. People use ostarine for athletic performance, involuntary weight loss due to illness, breast cancer and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.”

While closer examination doesn’t confirm Garcia’s intentions to cheat, many will read the drug’s description and immediately make a connection to Garcia’s failed attempts to make the 140-pound limit for the fight with Haney. Garcia missed weight for the fight by greater than three kilos over the contractual limit.

Additionally, WebMD says, “Ostarine is an investigational drug and therefore not approved for any use by the U.S. FDA.” However, it is typically still included in supplements, particularly those marketed for the bodybuilding sector. Ostarine, together with other SARMS, is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).”

A fighter, especially one trying to realize weight while maintaining muscle, strength and endurance, could see advantages from taking Ostarine. Lucien Bute tested positive for ostarine before his majority decision with Badou Jack April 2016. Recently, Amir Khan tested positive for the drug ahead of his TKO loss to Kell Brook February 2022.

Does this mean Garcia intentionally cheated? No, but like all college and skilled athletes, Garcia must know what he’s putting into his system. Foods, and particularly dietary supplements, have to be closely scrutinized to avoid failing drug tests for banned substances.

Haney released an announcement following the news shared via ESPN Ringside.

How often does a B sample differ from an A sample?

Garcia has ten days to request a B sample from his tests. B samples with different results from the A sample are rare. In 2006, American track star Marion Jones tested positive for erythropoietin in her A sample negative of their B samplewhich led to her exoneration.

The following yr, Jones admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs.

In an account of the Jones story John Meyer of the Denver Post wrote: “Of the more than 500,000 anti-doping tests conducted by 33 WADA-accredited laboratories around the world over the past three years, there were nearly 9,300 positive results among “A” samples. “B” sample tests only contradict “A” sample tests two to 4 times a yr, in accordance with WADA statistics.”

For reference, Bute’s B sample was also positive.

At the very least, the recent results of Garcia’s drug test complicate the ultimate consequence after one in every of boxing’s most memorable nights, which is shaping as much as be a banner yr for boxing.