Antonio Tarver says he wants to see the old version of Devin Haney when he goes up against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
“I’m surprised because Devin didn’t look his best in his last fight,” said Antonio Tarver to Fight Hub TV, talking about Devin Haney’s clash against Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd. “His team has got to have unbelievable confidence in his ability because Brian Norman has never lost. That boy is punching with serious power.”
There are a lot of people who are surprised that Haney agreed to fight Norman Jr. because it’s the wrong type of opponent for a fighter who is afraid to be hit.
“They just put a big fish in his face. It’s an opportunity for him. I like Haney, but I just want to see the best Haney,” said Tarver. “I think if we see the best Haney, he can beat anybody. He can outbox anybody. But when are we going to see the best Haney? I don’t know. That’s the only thing we’re waiting on.”
Tarver wants to see the Haney that existed at lightweight, and the ones that defeated then 35-year-old Regis Prograis on December 7, 2023, at 140. That was the perfect situation for Haney going up against an older fighter. Haney outboxed Prograis, winning a wide 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 120-107, 120-107, and 120-107.
“They obviously have a lot of confidence in his ability to take a fight like this with a dangerous puncher like Brian Norman,” said Tarver. “It says a lot about Devin. His team has a lot of confidence in his ability that they’re going to get it right this time, that Devin Haney is going to show up to be Devin Haney. The one we saw against Resis Prograis.”
The reason that Team Haney is taking this fight is because they were offered a lot of money. This isn’t about confidence. It’s the biggest payday that Haney could get after Tefoimo Lopez chose not to fight him.
“I like that Devin Haney against a lot of those fighters out there today. But he’s got to get back to that Devin Haney,” said Tarver. “So, we’ll see. Can he be that against Brian Norman, and those guys are hungry. They’ve never been at this stage of the game being featured worldwide, internationally. So, they can see it and they want it.”
Tarver doesn’t mention the welterweights that he likes Haney against. In my view, these are the ones that are all wrong for Devin:
- Conor Benn
- Shakhram Giyasov
- Raul Curiel
- Karen Chukhadzhian
- Brian Norman Jr.
“They’re hungry for that victory because they know that victory can change their life and put Brian Norman in a crazy position when it comes to boxing in that division. So, that’s the win they need, and it’s a win that can rejuvenate and reignite the motion Devin Haney once had,” said Tarver.
Fans are skeptical about Haney being able to return to the fighter he once was because he’s no longer enjoying a massive size advantage over his opponents like he had when he fought at 135. When Devin was boiling down to fight at lightweight, he was bigger than his opponents. That’s not going to be the case at 147.
