Devin Haney says he’s going to be even better fighting at 147 against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. than he’d been at 140 and 135 when they meet on November 22, 2025.
Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) said that it was difficult to make 140, and he felt “depleted” in the last time he fought at that weight against Ryan Garcia on April 20, 2024. He states that he felt better when he fought Jose Ramirez at a catchweight of 144 lbs last May.
Norman Jr.’s Power Threat
It may not matter that Haney will be feeling stronger at 147, because his chin is going to be the problem in this fight. If he can’t handle Norman’s punching power, he’s still going to be in just as much trouble as he was fighting at 140 when Kingry thrashed him.
Haney will challenge Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) for his WBO belt in the co-feature slot on the David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde card on November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will be shown live on DAZN PPV.
Undercard fights on November 22nd
- Devin Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr.: WBO 147-lb title on the line
- Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez vs. Fernando Martinez
- Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes: Vacant WBO Lightweight Title at stake
- Artur Beterbiev vs. Deon Nicholson
- Subriel Matias vs. Dalton Smith: Matias defends his WBC 140-lb title
Will Haney Deliver or Fold?
“When I fought at 144, I felt super good, and I think at 147, I’m going to feel even better—an even better version. When I first went up to 140, you guys saw a much better version than I was at 135. I think it’s going to be the same at 147,” said Devin Haney to Boxing News, stating that he’s going to be stronger at the full weight at welterweight than he was in his catchweight at 144 and when he fought at 140.
The reality is, Haney wasn’t a better fighter at 140 than he was at 135. He was worse in my estimation. It may have temporarily seemed that Devin was better because he fought then 35-year-old Regis Prograis in his first fight. He’d been on a decline in his career since he fought Danielito Zorrilla on June 17, 2023.
In Haney’s second fight at 140, he lost to Ryan Garcia. So, based on that, I’d say that Devin didn’t improve after having moved up from lightweight to light welterweight. Haney was dropped three times by Ryan in that fight and was hurt multiple times by his powerful left hook.
At 147, it’s likely to be worse for Haney, starting with his title challenge against Norman Jr. on November 22nd. Almost everyone has power in this weight class, and there’s no way that Devin can avoid fighting them. He can’t keep fighting the way he did against Jose Ramirez, running around the ring because fans won’t put up with that.
Turki Alalshikh Wants Action
“We got to see. Styles make fights. You don’t fight everybody the same,” said Haney when asked if he’ll engage more against Norman Jr. due to Turki Alalshikh’s no Tom and Jerry fights on his Riyadh Season events.
I’m sure Turki will be overjoyed at seeing Haney turn in another Jerry-esque performance if he chooses to fight in the style he did against Jose Ramirez earlier this year on the Fatal Fury event on May 2, 2025, at Times Square in New York.
If Haney runs all night, Turki would have to take that into account when his contract with Riyadh Season comes up for renewal. That would be the second fight in a row in which he’s fought in a safety-first manner.
If Devin is going to fight like that, it might not be worth it for Alalshikh to invest in a rematch with Ryan Garcia. He’d have to assume that this is how Haney will elect to battle Ryan, and that’s not a style that will play well with fans.
There are entertaining fighters that Turki can match against Kingry at welterweight that don’t run around the ring. These are some examples:
- Shakhram Giyasov
- Teofimo Lopez
- Raul Curiel
- Rohan Polanco
Last Updated on 09/26/2025
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