Keith Thurman says he warned Bill Haney that he’s going to get his son, Devin Haney, hurt by moving up to welterweight to take on the fighters in this weight class.
Devin’s Chin: 147-lb Doubts
Thurman believes that Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) lacks the punch resistance, power, and the killer instinct to compete with 147-pounders.
Devin, 26, will be challenging Brian Norman Jr. for his WBO welterweight title on November 22nd in ANB Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Haney is the favorite, but that doesn’t mean anything. Fans view this as a mismatch, with Norman Jr. knocking out Haney in a vicious manner at some point.
“I told Bill he was going to get his son hurt moving up to 147. I said, ‘Bill, stop it. You’re going to get your son hurt,” said Keith Thurman to MillCity Boxing about his warning to Bill Haney not to let his son, Devin, move up to welterweight to mix it up with the big punchers.”
Garcia Fight: Haney’s Weakness Exposed
You could see from Haney’s fight against Ryan Garcia that he can’t take a punch, as he was repeatedly hurt in that fight. Every time Garcia tapped Devin, he would wobble, and the only reason he wasn’t knocked out was because the referee decided to take a point away from Ryan in the seventh. Devin was ready to go in that round.
If Haney wasn’t so rich already and being offered mega-money to fight Brian Norman Jr. for his WBO welterweight title, he’d have stayed at 140 for the remainder of his career. He wouldn’t have moved up to 147, knowing he’d be fighting harder punchers in that weight class.
“Playing with Fire”: Haney’s 147-lb Gamble
“I said, ‘Your boy at 147, you’re playing with fire. You’re going to get hurt.’ If you want to know how good a fighter is, you look at how well they take a punch. I don’t see Haney as a threat to welterweights. Let’s see Norman make a statement and hold it down for a while. He’s still one of the younger ones. My prediction is Devin Haney doesn’t do phenomenal things at 147.”
Haney probably will win a title at some point at 147, because he’s going to be maneuvered into winning a belt by his handlers, just like what was done at 135 and 140. He didn’t fight anyone good to win his titles in those weight classes.
He was elevated for his WBC lightweight title, then picked up the IBF, WBA, and WBO belts from George Kambosos Jr. He captured his WBC 140-lb title from Regis Prograis, the weakest link among the belt-holders at the time.
If Haney is matched against the Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios winner, he’s got a good chance of winning the WBC 147-lb belt. Those two are beatable against many other fighters in the welterweight division, but Haney is popular enough to be given the chance to fight for that belt. Even if he loses to Norman Jr. on November 22nd, he’ll still likely be given a chance.
Last Updated on 07/09/2025
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