Blair Cobbs says Devin Haney, “The Roadrunner,” will use nonstop movement in his fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd. The movement will create a situation where each round will be based on two or three punches landed. It’ll be Devin (32-0, 15 KOs) who will land those punches.
(Credit: Matchroom)
Turki Alalshikh’s Nightmare Scenario
It would be the worst nightmare for Turki Alalshikh to see Haney fighting that way on the November 22nd card. There’s nothing he can do about it. Devin only cares about winning, and limiting the punch output of Norman Jr (28-0, 21 KOs) is the best way for him to do that.
“I think it’s Bill and Devin Haney trying to figure out a way into the market,” said Blair Cobbs to Sean Zittel, talking about Haney choosing to fight Brian Norman Jr. for his WBO welterweight title in November.
Bill Haney’s Opponent Choice
Bill Haney chooses the opponents for Devin. So, for this fight to happen, he scouted Brian Norman Jr. and decided he was made to order for Devin’s hit-and-run style of fighting.
“I don’t think Brian Norman has what it takes to do the things to someone like Haney. You can’t run and punch at the same time,” said Blair. “So, there are going to be opportunities. But if you’re just chasing him around, which Brian Norman can easily fall into and get popped with a jab.”
Norman Jr. has the timing, reach, and enough foot speed to get to Haney. He’ll lose a lot of the power on his shots because he’ll be forced to take some zip off of them to land against a moving target. If he swings with full force all night, he’ll miss often. If he doesn’t mind missing, he can still have success by loading up on his shots. It would be like how Julian Jackson fought Terry Norris in 1989.
Jackson was known for his one-punch power, but he had a difficult time landing against Norris due to his movement. He caught up to him in the second round to score a one-punch KO. Brian Norman Jr. could have the same success if he doesn’t get frustrated with Haney’s nonstop movement.
Haney’s “Roadrunner” Style Analysis
“The whole fight is based on one or two punches that are ever landed in each round. That could easily happen. This guy [Haney] is a roadrunner now, and you’ve got slightly slower fighters chasing him down. Against Brian Norman, quite possibly [it’ll work for Haney],” said Cobbs.
That’s precisely what Haney did in his last fight against Jose Ramirez on May 2nd. He moved nonstop, not getting hit, and landing occasional shots when he’d stop moving for a second. He’d always throw just one punch before taking off again.
The rounds were decided on just a small handful of punches, around three or four, but that was enough. Haney is going to do the same thing against Norman Jr, but even more so. He’s going to move more because he’ll have to to keep from getting knocked out.
“The odds favor Haney because they’re not taking a fight that they even remotely think is a problem,” said Blair.
Cobbs makes a good point. The Haneys vetted Brian Norman Jr. ahead of time before they agreed to take the fight for the November 22nd Riyadh Season card. If they didn’t believe they could win, they would have refused to take it.
Devin has built up a big enough nest egg over the last three years that he can afford to miss out on a huge payday like this one. If he weren’t at least 90% certain he could best Norman Jr, he’d have said no to the match-up.
Last Updated on 07/21/2025
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