Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed today what many fans have already suspected about Devin Haney: he’s “concerned with getting hit” since his fight against Ryan Garcia.
Hearn states that Devin’s dad, Bill Haney, has worries about his son’s “punch resistance.” So, he expects Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) to be on the move to avoid taking shots in his title fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) on November 22, 2025, because this is a big puncher with power in both hands.
Logic Says He’ll Run Again
Hearn says he doesn’t think Devin will run from Norman Jr. like he did against Jose Ramirez earlier this year on May 2. He believes that was just a one-off situation where Haney needed to be cautious because he’d been badly hurt multiple times in his previous fight against Ryan Garcia on April 20, 2024.
“Devin and Bill [Haney] in particular are concerned with getting hit, which is a really bad situation when you’re fighting, especially when you’re fighting someone that is a sharp puncher,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to the media.
It’s unclear why Devin wouldn’t run even more so against Norman Jr. than he did against Ramirez. It doesn’t make sense for Haney to suddenly fight aggressively against a far bigger puncher than Ramirez in his clash against Norman Jr.
If he’s going to run for the hills against an old, slow Ramirez, why wouldn’t he run even more against a younger, stronger fighter with one-punch power like Norman Jr? I don’t think Hearn thought that idea through.
Can Devin Stay in the Pocket?
Logically, you have to assume Devin is going to be running nonstop for the complete 12 rounds, turning in a classic example of a Jerry-esque style fight. It wouldn’t be in Haney’s best interest to do so because Turki Alalshikh will be in the audience, and he’s obviously paying him well. What Turki needed was to have a no-run clause built into the contract with Haney. So, if he chooses to turn in a Jerry-like performance against his no Tom and Jerry mandate, then he doesn’t get the full amount of money.
The fans may not boo Haney because the event is in Riyadh, but people watching the event on DAZN PPV at home in the U.S will be furious at paying to see that kind of performance.
“He’s Bill’s son, and Bill doesn’t want him to get hit. And they’re concerned about his punch resistance. That’s the truth. And if you’re concerned about your punch resistance, I think it’s a dangerous game. So, Devin will get on his bike against Brian Norman, and he’ll try to outbox him,” said Hearn about Haney.
The Clinch Trap
With Norman’s punching power, it’s not going to help Haney for him to run around the ring, hoping not to get hit. He’s going to get to him often enough to land his bombs, which will be harder than the ones that Ryan repeatedly dropped Haney with.
Norman Jr. has power in both hands, not just his left. However, that would be the hand that Norman should focus on using because Devin showed that he couldn’t block Garcia’s left hook. He was getting hit with it all night.
Haney’s habit of excessively holding will put him in punching range of Norman Jr. when he reaches out to grab him in a clinch. That’s how Kingry was able to hit him. He just waited for Devin to dive forward to hold, and he would clock him. He didn’t hold as much in his last fight against Ramirez, but he didn’t have to.
Ramirez was so slow that he couldn’t cut off the ring to trap him against the ropes the way Ryan did. If he had, we’d likely have seen Haney holding excessively, as that’s a strategy he’s used in the past to neutralize his opponents’ offenses.
Written by Ken Woods, Ringside Boxing Analyst covering world title fights since 2018.
Last Updated on 10/09/2025
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