Andre Dirrell questions whether Devin Haney has PTSD going into his fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. this Saturday, November 22nd, at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He wants Devin (32-0, 16 KOs) to come clean and admit that he has a problem, and tell the fans that he’s fixed what’s wrong with him.
Is Haney Mentally Shaken?
Can Haney fix something that is broken mentally in just six months since his last fight against Jose Ramirez on May 2, 2025? If it’s chronic PTSD that’s causing the problem, that’s an issue that could exist for years or even a lifetime.
“Devin Haney, does he have PTSD. Is he gunshy? If you fight like you fought Kambosos, if you don’t fight like you fought Linares, if you’re not fighting like you fought Regis [Prograis], then, brother, something is going on. We can’t get that same performance [against Norman Jr.],” said Andre Dirrell to Fight Game Analysis about Devin Haney’s state of mind going into his fight this Saturday against Brian Norman Jr.
The Ramirez Red Flag
Haney definitely looked timid and terrified at times in his last fight against Jose Ramirez on May 2, 2025. That was Devin’s first fight back after suffering a loss to Ryan Garcia in 2024, and he did not look capable of engaging. We saw a lot of movement and diving in at waist level to hold from Haney.
Does he have PTSD? That would suggest that his fighting style has changed. As far as I can tell, it’s the same Haney as always. The main difference is that his last fight against Ramirez had more eyes watching him, as it was on Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season card.
Pre-Garcia vs Post-Garcia
“I’d rather see the pre-Garcia Devin Haney than the post-Garcia Devin Haney. Post-Garcia Devin Haney is a totally different Devin Haney. He’s dealing with an insecurity there, and you can’t tell me otherwise,” said Dirrell. “Just simply not bringing it up and acting like everything was cool, and acting like you’ll do the same thing with [Jose] Ramirez. It tells me there’s an insecurity there.”
Even if there was a bold Haney that existed pre-Ryan Garcia, which there wasn’t, he couldn’t return to that form against Norman Jr. He would get obliterated within five rounds if he stands his ground against him next Saturday. It would be just as fast as Norman Jr’s fifth-round knockout of Jin Sasaki on June 19, 2025, or likely quicker.
Some of the shots Brian Jr. hit Sasaki with in the first four rounds would be devastating for Haney, as they were vicious punches thrown with better power than Ryan’s shots that had Devin in serious trouble in their fight on April 20, 2024.
Turki’s “No Tom & Jerry” Rule
“Turki let the world know how disappointed he was in your performance,” said Dirrell about Haney’s performance against Jose Ramirez last May.
After Haney ran around the ring for 12 rounds, beating Ramirez in front of a completely silent crowd at Times Square in New York, Turki Alalshikh came out with his now famous ‘no Tom and Jerry’ mandate for his Riyadh Season cards.
The only one that has turned in a Jerry-esque performance since on Turki’s cards is Terence Crawford in his win over Canelo Alvarez. He was a special case because he’s one of Turki’s favorite fighters.
A Walking Guillotine on Saturday
If this is something that Devin can actually change, he’s a doomed man heading toward the walking guillotine on Saturday. Norman Jr. is going to chop his head off if he stands his ground because he doesn’t have the chin.
Dirrell sounds like he hasn’t watched Haney’s past fights. If he had, he’d have known that he’s always been a mover from day one in his career. Before he fought Ryan Garcia and was drilled, he was moving just as much in fights against Regis Prograis, Vasily Lomachenko, and Alfredo Santiago as he did against Ramirez.