Wednesday’s news that boxer Ryan Garcia failed drug tests before his three-knockdown victory over Devin Haney last month had a surprising twist.
Haney is working with Victor Conte, the mastermind of the BALCO steroid scandal that damaged the reputations and performances of Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and dozens of other professional athletes 20 years ago.
Conte, 73, said he founded the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), the nonprofit organization that conducted the two drug tests Garcia failed before his fight against Haney, according to ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Conte has cited VADA as proof that he is now committed to fighting doping cheats.
Margaret Goodman, founder of VADA, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports’ emailed request for comment Wednesday evening. But on Thursday, Ryan Connolly, an attorney representing VADA, disputed Conte’s claim.
“Victor Conte had no involvement in the creation of VADA,” Connolly said via email. (Conte later told USA TODAY Sports that he advised VADA and referred some of the first boxers to the doping testing program. He also said, “There is no connection between me and VADA. No type of ownership and no type of control.”)
Connolly also said: “VADA does not comment publicly on the analysis results of tested athletes. All results are reported in a timely manner directly to the relevant commissions and/or organizations, which then manage these results.”
ESPN cited a letter from VADA and reported that Garcia tested positive for Ostarine, a performance-enhancing substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list of substances.
Garcia denied taking steroids.
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“I heard Devin Haney has ties to Victor Conte, who has ties to VADA, very closely,” Garcia said in a video posted on his social media accounts. “Victor Conte, who is known for getting caught cheating.”
Since serving a four-month prison sentence for his role in the BALCO scandal, Conte has established himself in boxing, saying he has trained 28 champions.
Among the best: Devin Haney.
Devin Haney promotes Victor Conte product
Haney promotes one of Conte’s supplements in a video on the website of SNAC, Conte’s nutritional supplement manufacturer.
“Victor Conte’s Fighter Training Stack has taken me to the next level,” says Haney. “I feel so much better. My energy level is great. … Devin Haney. You won’t regret it. I’m SNAC strong.”
Conte said he has worked 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 learning of Garcia’s positive drug tests.
“I’m kind of the point person on Devin’s team in that regard,” Conte told USA TODAY Sports.
Bill Haney, who coaches his son Devin, did not respond to USA TODAY Sports’ requests for comment via voicemail or text message.
Conte said Wednesday he spoke twice with Haney’s attorney, John Hornewer, to explain Garcia’s drug test results. He also said he was working with Hornewer on a drug testing protocol that is included in all of Haney’s fight contracts, including the contract for the fight with Garcia.
“I am the one who determined the testing frequency of the entire program,” Conte said.
Hornewer confirmed Conte’s involvement in doping tests.
“What Victor does with SNAC on a regular basis in dealing with Devin, I really can’t comment on because I’m not involved in that,” Hornewer told USA TODAY Sports. “As far as drug testing goes, we get Victor’s opinion every (fight). Victor also fills out Devin’s forms because he knows what supplements he’s taking, etc. And that’s his role.”
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Victor Conte faces scepticism
In a 2023 Netflix documentary about Conte, Haney can be seen training at Conte’s San Francisco Bay Area facility and using an oxygen mask. Conte touts the benefits of high-gravity training and also says he provides boxers with blood work, nutritional advice and supplements like the ones he still sells.
“There are a lot of things that work and are legal,” he told USA TODAY Sports at the time of the documentary’s release.
Conte said he was committed to eradicating doping in sport and was committed to training athletes without the use of performance-enhancing substances.
Conte said he knew there would always be 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 spotlight,” Novitzky, now senior vice president of athlete health and performance at the UFC, says in the film. “So I don’t think you can believe a word this guy says.”
Victor Conte rejects Ryan Garcia
After it was announced that Garcia tested positive for his 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 on April 20, the day of the fight.
“If they had this information, they should have released it before the fight, because why would you let an imposter in the ring?” Garcia said in comments recorded on Xformerly Twitter. “All of a sudden I win and then you publish it? That seems kind of weird to me.”
In a post on X, Conte urged Garcia to stop spreading misinformation. Conte noted that the samples were taken the day before and the day of the fight, and said it takes at least 72 hours for the results to come back, so they would not have been available before the fight.
Oliver Catlin, president of the Banned Substances Control Group, also told USA TODAY Sports that results would not be available until several days after the tests were conducted.
“Attacking the schedule seems like a weak argument,” said Catlin, son of famous anti-doping scientist Don Catlin.
Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said the standard processing time is several weeks.
“Of course you can’t rush anything and you have to do it right,” he said.
Conte disputed claims that the small amounts of banned substances could exonerate Garcia, writing on X: “Either you are PREGNANT or you are NOT. PERIOD. Saying that only small amounts were present is like saying he was only ‘a little bit pregnant.'”
Conte relished the moment on Wednesday when he explained the results of the doping test, saying: “Nobody knows more about this matter than I do.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Victor Conte, BALCO mastermind, part of drama involving Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney
