A Year is Not Enough. Shakur and Bellew on Ryan's Suspension
On June 21, it was announced that American boxer Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) received a one-year suspension after failing a drug test taken before his fight against WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) on April 20.
As a result, Ryan was banned from boxing for one year, fined $1.1 million, and the Garcia-Haney fight was declared null and void.
But was Garcia's punishment harsh enough to set an example? WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) believes it wasn't.
"Justice for Haney was not served because I actually feel like a one-year suspension is nothing. To suspend someone for a year after something like this sets a bad example. In the future, other fighters will think they will get a year’s suspension for cheating. I feel it's unfair. I think many will start doing this," Stevenson said.
Former British champion Tony Bellew believes such offenses should be punished with a lifetime ban.
"It's sad. Very sad. You have performance-enhancing drugs in your body. These are steroids. Everyone knows if you have steroids in your system, you should be banned for life. This isn't some substance you smoked; it's a banned steroid. I see nothing but a full exclusion. We shouldn't even be having these conversations anymore. The perfect example is Jarrell Miller, who was one molecule away from becoming the Hulk. All we needed to do was ban him for life, and we wouldn't be having these conversations, but he wasn't banned, so it continues in the sport. The longer this goes on, the worse it will get. Someone will soon die because of doping manipulations," Bellew stated in an interview with The Stomping Ground.
Recall that before the fight, Ryan Garcia failed to make weight and did not contest the WBC title held by Haney. Garcia won the fight but failed the pre-fight test, which found the banned substance Ostarine in his body. The B sample also tested positive. Haney's team demanded Garcia's suspension and the annulment of the fight result.