Brian Norman Jr’s promoter, Bob Arum, says he’s looking forward to working with Turki Alalshikh for Brian’s defense of his WBO welterweight title against the “track star Devin Haney” in November.
Arum knows what Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) will be up against in this fight, and he’s getting a little dig in ahead of time. What would be music to his ears is if Turki announced that the ring will be 18 x 18 feet, which would limit the amount of room that Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) would have to move.
Haney’s “Track Star” Label Explained
Many boxing fans complained about the movement that Devin used in his last fight on May 2nd against Jose Ramirez at Times Square in New York City. Haney took all the entertainment out of the fight with what people viewed as “running.” Afterward, there was a big backlash by fans, who criticized the entire card with a broad brush due to Devin’s performance. Before that fight, Haney hadn’t been a big mover during his career. He’d been the type who would engage with his opponents.
One theory to explain why Devin was on the run last May is the beating he sustained in his loss to Ryan Garcia last year. He was dropped three times by Ryan in that fight and was hurt other times. That may have taken the bravery out of him, transforming him into the cowering, cringing fighter we saw on display at Times Square.
Turki announced the Norman Jr. vs. Haney fight for November in Riyadh yesterday. The undercard and PPV price have yet to be revealed. The card is expected to be loaded with excellent fights.
Alalshikh praised Haney on X yesterday for his willingness to fight anybody. However, it was more of a case of Devin having limited options for a big payday after missing out on a couple of fights that would have paid millions. When the Brian Norman Jr. fight was offered to Haney, he wasn’t about to turn it down, because he would have had to wait a long time before something else dropped into his lap.
Norman Jr. vs. Haney: KO Risk
The downside of Haney taking this fight is the probability that he’s going to get knocked out by Norman Jr. Getting beaten is bad, but losing by a brutal knockout would put Devin’s already shaky career on the rocks.
We look forward to working with our friend, His Excellency @Turki_alalshikh, as the best welterweight in the world, Brian Norman Jr., defends his WBO title this November in Riyadh against track star Devin Haney.
— Bob Arum (@BobArum) June 30, 2025
Last Updated on 06/30/2025
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