Brian Norman Sr. says he’s “surprised” that Devin Haney agreed to fight his son, WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) on November 22nd in Riyadh. He believes that it was an “ego thing” that caused the former two-division world champion Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) to accept the risky fight.
Surprised They Said Yes
As most hardcore boxing fans already know, it’s a fight that Haney was offered by Turki Alalshikh for his Riyadh Season event, Ring IV, after his much-criticized performance earlier this year on May 2, 2025, against Jose Ramirez at Times Square in New York.
“I am very surprised that they took this fight, but I do understand it’s more of an ego thing. It’s you got to preserve your reputation that you have,” said Brian Norman Sr. to Ring Magazine about the surprise of Devin Haney taking the fight against the dangerous puncher, Brian Norman Jr.
The timing of Haney being asked to fight Norman Jr. may have put him in a position where he felt compelled to accept the match. He’d been dumped on by fans nonstop over his performance against the veteran Ramirez because of how he performed.
Haney looked like a classic definition of a Jerry-esque fighter, moving throughout. If you were Devin, would you have felt comfortable saying no to the Brian Norman Jr. fight after the way he’d looked against Jose Ramirez?
The Public Pressure Trap
“You got a reputation for not ducking fights. It was put public that this fight was offered. Once it was made public, they honestly had no choice but to take it, in my opinion,” said Norman Sr.
There is a massive upside for Haney in taking the fight against Norman Jr. If he wins, he’s right back on top and will likely be immediately offered the rematch with Ryan Garcia in 2026. Devin will make millions in a second fight with Ryan, and can do a reset with his career.
‘The Platinum Triangle’ of Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Holmby Hills would all be affordable for Haney if he can pull off wins over Norman Jr. and Ryan Garcia. He could load up the truck and move to Beverly. It would be the ideal career turnaround for Devin, and all he has to do is defeat Norman Jr. and Kingry in back-to-back fights to realize that vision.
Reset or Ruin for Devin
Everything that happened in 2024, including his loss to Kingry, will likely be forgotten. The money Haney could command from that point would be huge. So, it’s an excellent move for him to have accepted the fight with Norman Jr, because the upside is tremendous.
