Shakur Stevenson believes Ryan Garcia got off easy for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs ahead of his fight against Devin Haney.
In April, Garcia knocked down Haney three times and scored a majority decision win. But it was revealed after the fight that Garcia had banned the substance ostarine in his system.
The New York State Athletic Commission dropped the hammer on Garcia last week, changing the win to a no contest, suspending him for a year, issuing a $10,000 fine and forcing the 25-year-old to return his $1.2 million guaranteed purse money.
“Naw [justice was not served for Haney] because I feel as though one year ain't really nothing,” Stevenson told BoxingScene. “It's not setting a good example to give somebody a year after something like that. Other fighters to come are going to think they are going to get only a year's time for cheating. I feel as though that's not fair. I think a lot of people are going to start doing it, too.”
The WBC lightweight champion Stevenson (21-0, 10 KOs) is preparing to face Artem Harutyunyan (12-1, 7 KOs) in a homecoming fight on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey on ESPN in what will be the last fight under his current contract with Top Rank.
As the 26-year-old embarks on the free agency phase of his career, Stevenson said he’d be open to moving up to 140 pounds to face Haney, now the WBC’s champion in recess at junior welterweight.
“I'm down to fight anybody and everybody,” said Haney. “There are plenty of big fights out there like Gervonta Davis, William Zepeda and Isaac Cruz as well – anybody can get it. The main thing is to get these guys to say yes. I'm ready to step up to 140 pounds if it's going to make the most money.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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