By Arthur Rooks Boxing Contributor

Ryan Garcia‘s legal representative, Paul Greene, has announced that they are working towards agreeing on a ban of “four months or less” for Garcia’s positive drug tests. The supplements Garcia listed on his VADA doping control forms, raspberry-lemonade flavored NutraBio SuperCarb and Body Health strawberry-flavored amino-acid blend, were found to be contaminated with ostarine, with concentrations ranging from 70 to 2200 picograms per gram of powder.

Greene contends that while Garcia is expected to face sanctions, the evidence of contamination should result in a lighter penalty. Despite the strict liability doping rules, which hold fighters accountable for any supplements they consume, Greene emphasizes that Garcia’s actions were due to an “innocent mindset” rather than deliberate cheating.

Greene further explained that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code allows for a reduced sanction if the athlete declares their supplements in advance, which Garcia did. He hopes that an agreement can be reached without a formal hearing, involving the WBC, NYSAC, and Garcia‘s team. Garcia recently defeated Haney in a majority decision, knocking him down three times, but was ineligible to win the WBC junior welterweight title due to being 3.2 pounds overweight. Greene, the founding partner of Global Sports Advocates, believes that a collaborative resolution can be found, taking into account Garcia’s proactive declaration and the evidence of contamination.