Devin Haney’s old sparring partner, Elijan Flores, believes he can dethrone WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. if he “sticks to his game” of using his hit-and-run strategy for their fight on November 22, 2025.
That strategy has worked for Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) through most of his career, except for his fight against Ryan Garcia. Flores says he should go back to that approach, forcing Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) to adapt. He’s assuming that Haney will be able to keep space between him and the 24-year-old Norman Jr. the entire 12-round fight without getting caught, and layed out like Norman’s last victim, Jin Sasaki on June 19th.
“Stick to His Game” Blueprint
“Haney has a chance of winning if he sticks to his game. The Ryan fight; that wasn’t his game. I feel like with less movement and more angles, I feel like Devin will do better as far as fighting,” said Elijah Flores to MillCity Boxing about what Devin Haney must do for him to have a chance of beating.
The Ryan Garcia Reminder
The Ryan fight actually was Devin’s game. He was hurt initially in round one when he was trying to grab Garcia in a clinch. The excessive holding that Haney does in his fights is 100% part of his game, but usually, his opponents just allow it.
What he didn’t figure on was Ryan catching him with his short left hooks when he’d reach to hold. That’s how Devin continually got hurt in their fight last year in April 2020. If Norman Jr. has been studying how he can catch Haney with a big shot, that’s the way to do it. Haney’s clinching had become a permanent fixture in his game, and he couldn’t be taken away without breaking him as a fighter.
“I think if Brian catches him with a good shot, and he feels that strength and that power, he’s going to be on that bike. Who is going to adjust?. If Haney goes on that bike and keeps him on the outside and is doing well on that, how can Brian adjust to that?” said Flores.
If and when Norman Jr. catches Devin with a good shot, he’s certainly going to get on his bike for the remainder of the fight if he’s still upright. He’s not going to want to take a chance of getting caught again and lay out even worse than he was in his three-knockdown defeat against Ryan Garcia last year on April 20, 2024.
Norman Jr.’s Hunting Instinct
The only adjustments that will be made are for Norman Jr. He’ll learn and adapt to the movement that Haney will be using. He’ll hunt him, catch him, and bag him in that order. Norman Jr. has a wolf-like way about him inside the ring with the way he tracks down his prey. Haney’s running will increase that instinct in Brian Jr.
Flores has got the right idea for Haney by recommending that he use “less movement” and focus on “more angles.”
Going by how the former two-division world champion Devin looked against Jose Ramirez on May 2, it’s doubtful that he’s going to be willing to follow his old sparring partner’s advice. He looked in panic mode throughout the 12-round fight against Ramirez, and never got comfortable at any point in the contest.
Even in the final seconds of the fight, Haney had a look of terror. He did not want to get hit for anything. Ramirez isn’t even a big puncher. So, unless Devin has gotten a brain transplant or found a time machine to bring back the pre-Ryan Garcia fight version of himself, he’s not going to take any chances on November 22nd.
Bottom Lines: Haney Will Be Forced to Fight
Devin will be on the run from the get-go, and hopes that the judges will give more weight to his jabs over the power shots Norman Jr. will be hitting him with wherever he can briefly catch him. If Haney doesn’t stand and fight, he’s not going to survive long against this wolf.
Last Updated on 10/21/2025
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