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“He May Have Fooled Himself”: Jeff Mayweather Remains Brutally Honest About Ryan Garcia’s Failed Drugs Test

Published 05/06/2024, 10:52 AM EDT

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The news of Ryan Garcia’s failing drug tests shook up the boxing world. Reportedly, the young boxer returned positive results for the tests conducted the day before as well as on the day of the Devin Haney fight for the banned substance, a performance-enhancing drug (PED) called ‘Ostarine’. Understandably, Garcia has denied any wrongdoing.

But the news has sharply divided the community. However, a few voices recommend waiting and watching. Among them was Floyd Mayweather Jr.‘s uncle, Jeff Mayweather. The veteran trainer shared his thoughts on the matter while speaking with a reporter. Perhaps the former super featherweight champion would like to give the benefit of the doubt to Garcia. However, ‘Jazzy’ remains clear what would become of the young boxer if he’s found guilty.

Jeff Mayweather Reflects in the wake of the Ryan Garcia controversy

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Soon after checking with him about the Alvarez-Munguia fight, the reporter from Fight Hype asked Jeff Mayweather, “Ryan Garcia failed drug test. Do you have any opinions on it? I mean, I know he hasn’t got his b sample cleared, but it’s a little suspicious.

The former super featherweight champion minced no words. According to him, if Ryan Garcia isn’t able to clear the tests, then he would prove himself the biggest joke in modern boxing. Why? Because, Mayweather continued, “Basically, he became the biggest star in boxing on that night, and everything that Ryan touched after that was gold.

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However, if found guilty, it sounds so foolish. “I mean, I think that some of the mental illness or whatever must be real, because I thought he had played everyone, and basically.. just fooled the world, but he may have fooled himself,” said Jeff Mayweather.

Canelo Alvarez‘s text-book demolition of Jamie Munguia perhaps numbed the noise of the controversy that followed one of the year’s biggest fights. Roughly a fortnight ago, New York’s Barclays Center played host to the much-discussed fight between Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.

The run-up to the match itself witnessed much commotion on account of Garcia’s outlandish behavior and online caper. With questions raised over his mental fitness, ‘KingRy’ enters the fight as the underdog. But on fight day, he turned the table on one of the P4P best boxers, winning the match in the most decisive manner. The triumph clearly took him to the top of the boxing world. But then came the downer.

Denial and Rejoinder

According to a May 2 tweet from ESPN‘s Mike Coppinger, though uncorroborated, Ryan Garcia’s A Sample reportedly returned a positive result for 19-norandrosterone. However, the young boxer seems to have ten days to ask for his B sample to be tested.

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Two days later, talkSPORT‘s Michael Benson added further updates to the news. Ryan Garcia has reportedly sought the B samples for his drug tests that came back positive. In addition, he has a team checking whether the supplements he took before the Haney were adulterated in any way. “He also said he believes the situation is a “set-up” and an “inside job”,the tweet concluded.

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The point made by Jeff Mayweather does make sense. Ryan Garcia, a clear underdog, has become boxing’s biggest superstar. Therefore, if he falls from that pedestal due to any proven malpractice, it would undoubtedly be his own undoing.

What are your thoughts on Jeff Mayweather’s deliberations on the Ryan Garcia storm? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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Written by:

Jaideep R Unnithan

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Jaideep Unnithan is a senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports. Inching towards the milestone of 2000 articles with pride, he has been a chronicler of day-to-day developments happening inside and outside of the squared circle. Having a keen eye on the punches traded inside the ring, he has written opinion pieces breaking down the fighting styles of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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Edited by:

Gokul Pillai