Brian Norman Sr. says it was Turki Alalshikh who wanted Devin Haney to fight his son, WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr., on the November 22nd card.
Norman Sr. Reveals Turki’s Plan
It wasn’t Haney who asked for that fight. Brian Sr. says the idea was to give Haney an easy first fight against Jose Ramirez, and then have him fight Ryan Garcia for the last two fights on the contract.
However, Ryan’s loss to Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero spoiled things. So that took him out of the equation. After that, Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) was approached to be Haney’s opponent for his second fight of his three-fight contract.
“This is how this fight was made. They [Turki Alalshikh] brought Brian Norman to him. It wasn’t him seeking this fight,” said Brian Norman Sr. to Fighthype about Turki Alalshikh wanting Devin Haney to fight Brian Norman Jr.
Fans had already suspected that it was Turki Alalshikh who pushed this fight, not Haney or his dad, Bill Haney. Why would those two want to mix it up with the hardest puncher in the 147-lb division after the way Ryan Garcia mopped the deck with Dev last year?
We already saw Devin in his first fight since that night, going up against Jose Ramirez on Turki’s May 2nd event at Times Square in New York City. He looked like he was afraid to engage with Ramirez, choosing to run around the ring all night. That was against an older, past his prime former unified 140-lb champion. Norman, 24, is younger, bigger, stronger, and still on his way up. He hasn’t hit his peak.
Turki’s Haney-Garcia Plan Failed
“He has a contract with Turki, and it’s a three-fight deal. One was [Jose] Ramirez, and Ryan Garcia twice. With Ryan Garcia, he pulled out. So, I guess they were trying to find him [Haney] two other fights. So, Brian Norman came up. They gave us the fight first,” said Norman Sr.
With the money Turki is paying Devin, you can understand why he chose Norman Jr. He wants value after giving him a soft opponent in his first fight of his three-fight contract, allowing him to fight Ramirez. It’s understandable why Turki was willing to let Haney fight him, because it was important that he win to set up the two fights against Ryan Garcia. What he didn’t account for was Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero being too good for Ryan.
“I give Devin Haney for stepping up and accepting this fight. He didn’t seek this fight. It gives us the opportunity to put his name on our resume because it’s a well-needed name on our resume,” said Norman Jr.
Last Updated on 08/04/2025
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