Devin Haney says he will have proven that he’s taken “over another division” if he defeats WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd. He doesn’t say what division he took over in the past because he never beat the #1 fighters at 135 or 140.
Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) is the betting favorite to defeat Haney (32-0, 16 KOs), and finish what Ryan Garcia started last year in April 2024. It’s a fight that Devin needs for him to get the rematch with Ryan that he’s been pushing for since his loss to him at the Barclays Center in New York.
Haney’s Grand Claim
Unfortunately, it may never happen unless Turki Alalshikh is still willing to fund it with Haney coming off a loss to Norman Jr. if things don’t work out for him this month at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
“He’s the best guy at 147 right now. Once I beat him, I take over another division and become the top dog,” said Devin Haney to Brunch Boxing about his upcoming fight against Brian Norman Jr. “I got to beat who is in front of me. I want to make the best fights in the world. I’ve been saying that for a long time now. It’s no secret.”
The 147 Reality Check
Devin is going a little far by extrapolating the results of a win over Norman Jr. to mean that he’s the best fighter at 147. He would still have to beat a half dozen fighters at welterweight that could dent his chin, just like Ryan Garcia did. It wouldn’t be surprising if Haney were to be beaten by some of even the lower-rated contenders at 147, like Giovanni Santillan and Karen Chukhadzhian. Beating Norman Jr. would only prove that Haney’s better than him.
“This is not just something I’m saying. My action really show that. I’ve heard guys say, ‘He’s going to pull out of the fight with Brian Norman. He don’t really want the fight’ or whatever the case may be. The audacity for them to even say that about me is crazy,” said Haney.
Turki’s Golden Carrot
Few people think Haney will pull out of the fight. With the millions that Turki Alalshikh is paying him for this event, of course, he’s not going to back out of the Norman Jr. contest. He has to take this fight if he wants to strike the mother lode of gold in a rematch with Ryan Garcia. No Norman Jr. fight, no Ryan goldmine.
“We’re almost there, and I can’t wait. A lot of people are going to be surprised about how I beat this guy. All around the board, I’m just a better fighter, and I’m going to show that I’m levels above him,” said Haney.
Hopefully, Devin has a good career escape plan if he gets knocked out cold by Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd. He’s going to have to do something if things don’t go well for him. He looked terrible mentally in his first fight back from his loss to Ryan Garcia last May. He ran around the ring for 12 rounds, treating the faded Jose Ramirez like a duplicate of Julian Jackson.