The news on Wednesday that boxer Ryan Garcia failed drug tests before his three-knockdown upset of Devin Haney last month came with a twist.
Haney works with Victor Conte, the mastermind of the BALCO steroids scandal that 20 years ago tarnished the reputations and accomplishments of Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and dozens of other professional athletes.
Conte, 73, also helped create the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), the non-profit that conducted the two drug tests Garcia failed before his fight with Haney, according to ESPN and Sports Illustrated. (Conte cites VADA as evidence he is now committed to working against drug cheats.)
ESPN cited a letter from VADA in reporting Garcia tested positive for ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance on the list of banned substances issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Garcia denied taking steroids.
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“I hear Devin Haney, he’s connected to Victor Conte, who’s connected to VADA, real close,’’ Garcia said during a video he posted on his social media accounts. “Victor Conte, who’s known for getting caught for cheating.’’
Since serving a four-month prison term for his role in the BALCO scandal, Conte has carved out a home in boxing. He said he has trained 28 champions.
Among the best: Devin Haney.
Devin Haney endorses Victor Conte product
Haney endorses one of Conte’s supplements in a video posted on the website of SNAC, Conte’s supplement company.
“Victor Conte’s Fighter Training Stack has brought me to the next level,’’ Haney says. “I feel so much better. My energy level has been great. … Devin Haney. You won’t regret it. I’m SNAC strong.’’
Conte said he’s been working with Haney for at least eight years and met him through Shawn Porter. Conte said it was no surprise to get a call from the Haneys after they learned of Garcia’s positive drug tests.
“I’m kind of the point man on Devin’s team in this regard,’’ Conte told USA TODAY Sports.
Bill Haney, who trains his son Devin, did not respond to USA TODAY Sports requests for comment left by voicemail and text message.
Conte said Wednesday he spoke twice to Haney’s attorney, John Hornewer, to explain Garcia’s drug test results. He also said he works with Hornewer on drug testing protocol that’s included on all of Haney’s fight contracts, including the contract for the fight with Garcia.
“I’m the one that dictated the frequency of the testing of the entire program,’’ Conte said.
Hornewer confirmed Conte’s involvement with drug testing matters.
“What Victor does vis-à-vis Devin regularly with SNAC I really can’t comment on because I don’t involved with that,’’ Hornewer told USA TODAY Sports. “On the drug testing part, each (fight) we do seek Victor’s input. Victor also fills out Devin’s forms because he knows what supplements he’s taking, etcetera. And that’s his role.”
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Victor Conte faces skepticism
In a 2023 Netflix documentary about Conte, Haney is shown training and using an oxygen mask at Conte’s facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. Conte touts the benefits of high-gravity training and also says he provides the boxers with blood work analysis, dietary recommendations and nutritional supplements like the ones he still sells.
“There are lots of things that work that are legal,” he told USA TODAY Sports at the time of the documentary’s release.
Conte said he has dedicated himself to rooting out doping from sports and is committed to training athletes without the use of performance-enhancing substances.
Conte said he knows he’ll always have skeptics – such as former IRS agent Jeff Novitzky, who led the investigation into BALCO.
“He’ll take any publicity as long as his name is in the lights,” Novitzky, now Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for the UFC, says in the film. “So I don’t think you can believe a word the guy says.”
Victor Conte rebuts Ryan Garcia
After news broke of Garcia’s positive drug tests, the boxer questioned the timing of the results being released. One drug test was conducted on April 19, the day of the weigh-in, and a second test was conducted April 20, the day of the fight.
“If they had this information, they should have released this before the fight went down, because why would you let a cheater step into the ring?’’ Garcia said in comments recorded on X, formerly Twitter. “All of the sudden I win and then you release it? It seems kind of fishy to me.’’
In a post on X, Conte told Garcia to stop “spewing’’ misinformation. Noting the samples were taken the day before and the day of the fight, Conte said it takes at least 72 hours to get back the results so they would not have been available before the fight.
Oliver Catlin, an anti-doping expert, also told USA TODAY Sports the results would not have been available for at least a few days after the tests were conducted.
“Attacking the timeline seems like a weak argument,’’ said Catlin, son of famed anti-doping scientist Don Catlin.
Travis Tygart, CEO of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said standard turnaround time is a couple of weeks.
“Obviously, you don’t want to rush it and you must get it right,” he said.
Disputing claims the small amounts of banned substances might exonerate Garcia, Conte wrote on X, “You are either PREGNANT or NOT. PERIOD. Claiming tiny levels is like saying he is only ‘a tiny bit pregnant.’ ”
Relishing the moment on Wednesday as he expounded on the drug test results, Conte said, “Nobody knows more about this stuff than me.’’