Eddie Hearn described Ryan Garcia‘s legal move to admit guilt for doping before his fight against Devin Haney as an acceptable strategy.
This decision transformed what could have been the biggest win of Garcia’s boxing career into a significant catastrophe.
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During a private meeting with the New York Athletic Commission, Garcia sought a favorable agreement and a swift, albeit not the most severe, punishment.
As a result, the New York Athletic Commission suspended the Mexican-American fighter for one year, required him to return his official purse of $1.1 million to Golden Boy Promotions, and imposed a $10,000 fine.
Additionally, the fight’s result, which saw Garcia knock down Haney three times and win by majority decision, was overturned.
In an interview with Fight Hub, Hearn noted that the swift resolution of Garcia‘s punishment was a positive outcome, suggesting it stemmed from a behind-closed-doors agreement between Garcia and the Commission.
Publicly, Garcia maintains his innocence, claiming the doping was due to contaminated supplements.
“The punishment is good in terms of the speed with which the New York Athletic Commission resolved the issue,” Hearn said.
He compared this situation to that of Conor Benn, whose doping case has dragged on for two years, severely impacting his career.
Hearn elaborated, “This is just my opinion, but when you somewhat accept guilt behind closed doors to reach an agreement, issues are resolved much quicker.
“When a fighter refuses to accept guilt, convinced of their innocence, like Conor Benn, you can’t reach any agreement, and that’s why we’ve been dealing with this for two years.”
Impact on Ryan Garcia
Hearn acknowledged the smart legal maneuver by Garcia’s lawyers, which allowed his suspension to start immediately, avoiding a prolonged legal battle.
“I think they resolved the problem well. They did something smart because they didn’t want to fight the case or prove their innocence,” Hearn remarked.
“So, the punishment is only a year, which isn’t a long time. My bigger concern is what will happen to Ryan Garcia during that year.”
He also noted that this strategy prevented a deeper investigation into whether Garcia‘s doping was intentional, which could have led to harsher penalties.
Hearn commented on the revised fight outcome, which was changed to a No Contest, stating, “It’s a good decision for Devin Haney.”
He acknowledged that Haney still has to contend with the experience of that night and the damage inflicted by an opponent using performance-enhancing substances.
“We are not getting to the bottom of whether it was intentional or not. But I think that’s what Ryan Garcia‘s team wanted, and they’ve handled it well, allowing them to move on,” Hearn concluded.
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