In what will surely become the most lucrative period of Ryan Garcia’s career to date, he’s set to face Rolando “Rolly” Romero in May before embarking on a rematch – with a potential third fight to follow – with old rival Devin Haney. Not bad for an athlete who is currently banned from competition because he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

There’s no need, or desire, to retell the Garcia-Haney saga here, but the crux was his upset points victory in April 2024 becoming a no contest when it emerged that Garcia had failed two tests on the eve and day of the fight. Garcia denied any wrongdoing, but he was banned by the New York State Athletic Commission for 12 months. Haney didn’t believe him either and filed a lawsuit for battery against his opponent – but that has since been dropped so their rivalry could be renewed in more familiar surrounds.

Ben Johnson, the infamous sprinter whose Olympic gold medal and 100m world record were struck off in 1988 as his reputation plummeted after he failed a test, must wish that the world of athletics was as forgiving. Imagine Johnson, eight months into his ban, being treated as some kind of idol rather than the cheat that he so clearly was. At the recent Ring Awards in London, Garcia was one of the star attractions and even presented an award. Again, imagine a scenario in 1988 in which Johnson was paraded with such pride at an event designed to promote athletics. 

Boxing is different to athletics, however. In boxing, you can get seriously hurt. In boxing, therefore, cheating should be the most heinous of crimes. Garcia, however, has seen his stock soar since he failed a test. 

Haney has insisted upon stringent testing for Garcia before sharing a ring with him again. Though perfectly understandable, that it’s left to a boxer to make that demand of an opponent is incredible if you give it some thought. If Haney hadn’t made that a condition in the contract, what kind of testing would have been stipulated by the powers that be? Should it not be a given, in 2025, that boxers are subject to year-round random testing, whether they have a fight coming up or not? It should be, but it isn’t. 

The reason why boxing authorities, alongside the promoters, have struggled to implement such testing is purely down to economics, we’ve long been told. There is some truth in that – it’s an incredibly costly process – though there has rarely been any concerted effort from those staging the fights to solve a significant problem. But here we are in 2025 with Turki Alalshikh pulling the strings from Saudi Arabia, where money is no object at all. 

Rather than lining the pockets of Garcia, then, why not implement a strategy that could all but stamp out drug-taking among the elite overnight? It doesn’t have to be rocket science, either. Significantly increase the amount of year-round random drug testing for world-rated boxers with the message loud and clear that anyone who fails a test will never factor on a lucrative Saudi-funded event again. One suspects that such a move would do more for public relations than the announcement of any fight. 

That doesn’t seem to be in line with the thinking of any powerbroker, however. And it never has been. Think of high-profile boxers who have failed tests and it’s difficult to identify one whose career was hurt by the misdemeanour. Roy Jones Jnr, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, Tyson Fury, Andre Berto, Fernando Vargas, Luis Ortiz, Dillian Whyte, Frans Botha, Alexander Povetkin, Jarrell Miller and plenty more fell foul of PED testing only to go on to enjoy significant success. 

In October, while provisionally suspended for two failed tests, Conor Benn was invited to gatecrash Chris Eubank Jnr’s celebrations in Saudi Arabia two years after those failed tests had kyboshed a meeting between the pair at the 11th hour. It remains unthinkable that any other sport would be allowed to behave so crassly. 

Benn has since been cleared to fight and will earn a career-high payday against Eubank in April. Like Garcia’s agreement with Haney, it has been reported that there is a double-your-money rematch clause written into the contract. 

The message to any young boxers who are considering cheating is simple: Go for it. Okay, if you’re daft enough to get caught, you might get a ban – but it will only be a piddly one and you won’t have a shred of trouble starting from where you left off when you return. Better still, never admit to it, proclaim only innocence on social media, and few will ultimately care whether you’re guilty or not. 

Ben Johnson, meanwhile, is still widely portrayed as one of the most villainous athletes in sporting history for taking a substance that helped him to run faster.