Bill Haney didn’t want to hear the possibility that his son, Devin Haney’s fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr., might be a “close one” on November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. He said he only wants to think about Devin (32-0, 16 KOs) “dominating and controlling” the entire contest.
Norman Jr. Isn’t Built to Be Dominated
The fundamental problem is that no one dominates Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs). He’s unbeaten, with one-punch knockout power in either hand, and it takes one shot and it’s over.
Sasaki’s Memory Loss Warning
Norman’s last opponent, Jin Sasaki, reportedly lost memory about the end of their fight after being knocked cold in the fifth round on June 19th, 2025. “I don’t even remember this title fight being decided,” said Sasaki to the Japanese media.
“I want to think about Devin going in there and dominating and controlling every moment of the fight. Let’s think about that. Let’s imagine that. Let’s have them think about that,” said Bill Haney to YSM Sports Media, getting riled up when asked about the possibility of Devin Haney’s fight against Brian Norman Jr. being a close one on November 22nd.
The moment that Bill was asked about the possibility of Devin’s fight with Norman Jr. being a close one, he looked like he was ready to throw a fit. He didn’t want to hear it, even if it was just a hypothetical.
Denial or Defense Mechanism?
You can tell from Bill’s reaction to a simple question that he knows this fight could go badly for Haney. He got off easy in his three-knockdown loss to Ryan Garcia last year on April 20, 2024. Why get worked up?
If Bill really believes Devin has got this one in the bag, why did he blow a gasket? I’ve seen this way too many times. When someone reacts like that, it’s a signal they don’t believe victory is possible.
If Norman Jr. connects with the kind of shots he landed on his last opponent, Jin Sasaki, it’s going to be over. Those punches were on another level than the left hooks that Yan repeatedly used to drop Devin at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Bill Walks Out, Interview Ends
“Who have they [Norman Jr.] ever been in there that’s like Devin Haney? So, let them think about that and work on that, and we’re going to be Devin Haney and we’re going to shut his a** down,” said Bill, getting angrier, and storming off.
Bill just walked out of the interview after making that comment. He looked furious, leaving the interviewer speechless. All that from just one simple hypothetical about what if it’s a close fight against Norman Jr.
If Haney gets knocked out like Sasaka by Norman, it’s not the end of the world. He can always come back. With the right matchmaking, he can rebuild, but obviously, it would be best for him to forget about fighting at welterweight. There are too many sharks in the division with power that would be pure kryptonite.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst, covering world title fights since 2018.
Last Updated on 10/14/2025
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