Devin Haney’s physique transformation for his fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. has many fans questioning whether the added muscle will improve his performance on November 22, 2025, in Riyadh.
Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) has bulked up in training camp, putting on a lot of size to compete at the full 147-lb weight for the welterweight division. Not only has Devin’s upper body gotten bigger, but his head appears larger as well. It’s weird. He resembles a T. rex now.
That added muscle makes him look entirely different from the fighter who fought Jose Ramirez earlier this year on May 2, 2025, at Times Square in New York.
Bulking Up: A Risky Move
It’s risky for Haney to have put on so much size during one training camp without testing it out against a lower-level fighter that lacks punching power. Bulking up that much to face arguably the biggest puncher in the welterweight division, Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs), is a gamble.
Why Mobility Beats Muscle
If anything, Devin, 27, should be coming into the fight lighter, because he’s going to need to depend on his legs to move him around the ring for 12 continuous rounds. If he sets his feet to throw with power, he’ll be at the mercy of Norman’s power punches. Haney lacks the punch resistance to take power shots from a fighter like Norman Jr.
“If you put anybody in there with the same guys, and they’re going to do the same thing,” said Devin Haney to Ring Champs, when asked what does the ‘eye test’ tell him about how good Brian Norman Jr. is heading into their fight on November 22nd. “I’ve been doing this at the highest level for how long?”
‘Highest Level’? Let’s Check the Resume
Question: Has Haney been fighting at the “highest level”? His resume doesn’t reflect a fighter who has faced the top echelon of opponents. The only name on Devin’s resume that jumps out is Vasily Lomachenko, who was 35 when they fought on May 20, 2023.
After Haney rehydrated for the fight, he looked like a junior middleweight fighting a featherweight. He was huge compared to Lomachenko inside the ring.
Haney’s other “Highest Level” Opponents:
- Regis Prograis – 35
- Yuriorkis Gamboa – 38
- Jorge Linares – 35
- Ryan Garcia – social media star
- Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz
- George Kambosos Jr. – one hit wonder
- Jose Ramirez – coming off a loss
- Zaur Abdullaev – fringe contender
- Antonio Moran – Ditto
- Juan Carlos Burgos – journeyman
As one can see, Haney’s experience is limited to older fighters, ones much smaller than him, and the social media star, Ryan Garcia. You can’t count Haney’s victory over Lomachenko for three reasons:
- Controversial nature: Many fans saw it as a robbery, believing Lomachenko should have won
- Size difference: Haney looked like a junior middleweight fighting a featherweight
- Age difference: Loma was 35 and 3 months when he fought Devin.