Devin Haney said this week that he “can’t wait to show how great I am” on November 22 when he challenges Brian Norman Jr. for his WBO welterweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
A Shell of His Former Self?
Many fans believe Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) is mentally a shell of the fighter he’d been pre-Ryan Garcia loss, and he’s heading for a bad loss against the undefeated knockout artist Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) in their co-feature fight on the David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde card on DAZN PPV.
Haney looked like a shell-shocked veteran in his last fight against Jose Ramirez. He appeared skittish, battleworn, looking like he had the shakes, running around the ring, scared-looking much of the fight. He had the appearance of a soldier looking for a foxhole to hide in from the slow, steady bombardment from Ramirez that night. It was difficult for many fans who’d ordered the event on DAZN PPV to watch.
It’s a fight where Devin’s status as one of the major fighters in the sport will be at stake. Haney may not want to admit it, but his career is winding down. If he gets blown out by Norman Jr., the chances for big paydays against Ryan Garcia, Teofimo Lopez, and other name fighters will likely disappear.
“I’m super excited about that fight. It’s another division for me, another belt on the line for me. So, I can’t wait to show how great I am,” said Devin Haney to Ring Magazine about his fight against Brian Norman Jr. “Those are the kinds of things that motivate me to be the best and show that I’m the best.”
When Millions Are Expected
It would affirm what his former promoter, Eddie Hearn, said about him having lost his love for the sport. Hearn said in an interview with Australian Boxing Central, “Bill and Devin, they’re not looking strategically. They’re looking for the bag.” A part of that could also be that Haney does not want to take a pay cut after getting back-to-back big paydays against Ryan and Jose Ramirez.
Survival of the Fittest
When you’re getting millions for fights, the natural inclination is to receive similar money every time, even though your poor performances suggest that you take a huge pay cut. If Devin gets knocked cold by Norman Jr, those paydays may drop off unless someone like Turki Alalshikh chooses to prop him up artificially. I don’t know why he would. It’s survival of the fittest in boxing. That’s the way it should be at least.
We’ve seen in Haney’s last two fights that he’s not “the best.” He was beaten soundly by Ryan Garcia and forced to run against 33-year-old veteran Jose Ramirez. Those fights showed that Devin isn’t the same fighter now that he’s no longer competing at 135 and enjoying a massive size advantage over his opponents.
A Parroted Crawford Line
“I love when they doubt me and write me off. I make them eat their words. I love Eddie Hearn,” said Haney, cutting off the interviewer when he was on the verge of asking him about something his former promoter had said about him.
It sounds like Devin is parroting a line from Terence Crawford, talking about making fans “eat their words” for doubting him. It’s not like fans don’t have a reason to doubt Haney. You’d have to have been sleeping under a rock for the last year and a half not to have seen how poor Devin looked in his loss to Kingry and his timid performance against Jose Ramirez at Times Square in New York.
Last Updated on 09/12/2025
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