Devin Haney says his fight with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. is going to show whether he can “punch harder” at the full weight for the 147-lb division on November 22nd at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) sounded confident during an interview this week, talking about how his clash against Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) will allow him to prove his doubters wrong. They believe he can’t punch and can’t take a shot.
Haney’s doubters point out that he was hurt repeatedly by Ryan Garcia and Jorge Linares. The 24-year-old Norman Jr. is bigger and stronger than those fighters. He’s also a lethal finisher when he has his opponents hurt. So, if Haney is hurt, he won’t be able to clinch his way out of trouble like he did against Ryan and Linares.
The Power Question Returns
“They say I can’t punch. Now at 147, we’re going to see. We’re going to see if I punch harder, if I can take a punch better,” said Devin Haney to Ariel Helwani’s channel on YouTube. “That’s why this fight is so important to me, because they say I can’t block a left hook.”
Six Years Without a Stoppage
People say that Haney can’t punch because the reality is, he can’t. He has a 46.88% KO rate, and he hasn’t scored a knockout in six years since stopping Zaur Abdullaev in the fourth round on September 13, 2019. Haney hasn’t knocked out anyone in his last 10 fights since then. That’s quite a dry spell. Surely, if Devin had power, he’d have shown it in the last six years, wouldn’t he?
The weight that Haney has packed on for this camp isn’t likely to add enough power to make him a knockout threat. It would be risky for Haney to attempt to KO Norman Jr., because he’ll have to be stationary to sit down on his punches. That’s a risky thing to do against a knockout artist like Brian Jr.
If Haney has been beating up his middleweight sparring partner in this camp, Troy Isley (15-0, 5 KOs), that still doesn’t mean anything because he lacks power himself.
Why Haney’s Style Won’t Save Him
“We’ve seen in Brian Norman’s last fight that he knocked the guy [Jin Sasaki] out cold with a left hook. They say I can’t take a punch. We’ve got a guy that is strong, that can punch. For what they say, he’s kryptonite to my style,” said Devin.
It’s not really so much about Norman Jr. being wrong for Haney’s fighting style. It’s more about Norman Jr. being too powerful for him because his punch resistance isn’t up to par for someone of his power level.
There are certain fighters that a fighter with a weak mandible, like Haney he shouldn’t be fighting. You put Devin in with a slow, old guy like Jose Ramirez or Regis Prograis, and he’s in his element. But match Haney against Ryan Garcia or Norman Jr., and he’ll crumble. He’ll be vaporized on impact. That’s the reality of it.
“That’s why this fight is such an important fight for me to turn nonbelievers into believers, to prove the doubters and the naysayers wrong,” said Haney.
Can Haney Handle True Power?
This fight is likely to cement the fact that Devin doesn’t belong at 147 and should stay away from anyone with power for the remainder of his career. His father, Bill Haney, has done a good job of maneuvering him. But in this case, this is the wrong type of fighter for Haney to be fighting.
It doesn’t have to be the end of the world for Haney after November 22nd. Bill just needs to refocus by keeping himself away from these fighters:
- Ryan Garcia
- Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
- Lewis Crocker
- Gary Antuanne Russell
- Teofimo Lopez
- Ernesto Mercado
- Keyshawn Davis
- Liam Paro
- Subriel Matias
- Shakhram Giyasov
Tom Galm’s: Reality Awaits in Riyadh
November 22nd will reveal what’s in store for Devin’s ability to survive in the treacherous waters at 147, as he deals with the many shark-like predators that will prey on him. Again, Norman Jr. is just one of many power punchers in the welterweight division.
Getting destroyed by him will be a clear signal that Devin needs to return to his original weight of 140 and possibly even 135. It would be pointless for him to stay at 147 if he’s massacred by Norman Jr. the way many boxing fans are predicting.
Last Updated on 10/30/2025