Brian Norman Jr. says he’s going to be “coming back,” and he states that Devin Haney will see him “real soon.” The former WBO welterweight champion Norman Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) wants the rematch with Devin to avenge his loss from last Saturday night.
Reality of a Rematch Path
After all the hype about Norman Jr, it was a disappointing performance from him. He looked hesitant throughout, wasn’t pulling the trigger on his shots, and was allowing Haney to (33-0, 15 KOs) to hold without resistance on his part.
The possibility of Norman Jr. ever getting a rematch with Haney is slim without him piling up several big wins in a short period. The problem is, Norman Jr. doesn’t look capable of beating the top contenders to get a second fight with Haney.
Devin’s career is very likely to begin heading downhill, as he looks just as poor, and he can’t bank on beating the top welterweights by clinching excessively or running. He looked below average against Norman Jr. The only reason he won is that Brian Jr. was standing in front of him, not throwing, and letting Haney grab and hold. He fought like he had no sense.
Norman’s Rematch Dream
“I am coming back even harder,” said Brian Norman Jr. to Ring Magazine. “He’s going to see me again real soon. This isn’t stopping anything,” said Norman Jr. about his belief that he’ll get a rematch with Devin Haney soon to give him the chance to avenge his loss.
Top Rank is going to have to match Norman Jr. carefully, because if they put him in with anyone halfway decent, he’ll likely lose. Contenders like Jack Catterall, Conor Benn, Shakhram Giyasov, Karen Chukhadzhian, and Raul Curiel would feast on Norman Jr.
“It got a little ugly in the fight. Brian Norman was rushing him, and then he wasn’t fighting on the inside,” said trainer Bernie Davis to YSM Sports Media about what Norman Jr. did wrong against Haney. “Brian Norman wasn’t fighting on the inside. Haney wasn’t fighting on the inside either.”
Haney’s Holding Goes Unpunished
Norman Jr. wasn’t fighting on the inside. He was allowing Haney to tie him up without throwing. When he was being held, Norman Jr. did nothing and just waited for the referee to break. It’s surprising how poorly prepared he was for Devin’s style because his team had plenty of time to study the spoiling tactics that Haney uses.
“Brian Norman, maybe he smothered himself a little bit. But at the same time, he was hugging. They both were hugging, and Brian Norman should have roughed him up on the inside,” said Davis.
