Devin Haney amplified a report stating that Brian Norman Jr. received a career-high purse of $3 million for his title defense of the WBO welterweight title against him on November 22, 2025, in Riyadh.
Norman Jr.’s Career-High Payday
The purse is a massive upgrade to Norman’s previous career high purse of $650,000 for his fight earlier this year against Derrieck Cuevas on March 29 in Las Vegas. Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) annihilated the heavy-handed Puerto Rican Cuevas (27-2-1, 19 KOs) in a third-round knockout.
Last year, Norman Jr. had rejected a $1.7 million offer to face then IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in a unification fight during their negotiations in August and September 2024. Norman Jr. and his father, Brian Norman Sr., had been asking for $2.2 million for the ‘Boots’ Ennis fight. The negotiations collapsed when Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, chose not to agree to the money Norman Jr. and his father wanted.
A-Side Advantage for Haney
In light of that failure, it makes Haney look like an A-side draw that Norman Jr. is receiving well above the $1.7 million that Hearn was offering, with the $3 million figure that Brian Jr. will be receiving to defend his WBO 147-lb title against him on November 22nd. Haney’s purse as the challenger must be massive if Norman Jr. is receiving $3 million.
If Norman Jr. crushes Haney like he did Cuevas and his last opponent, Jin Sasaki, he could see his purses increase dramatically from the $3 million he’s receiving for this clash. He’s already considered the biggest puncher and the most entertaining fighter in the 147-lb division by many boxing fans.
Haney’s Declining Popularity
A brutal knockout loss for Haney will further erode his popularity, which has been on the decline since his loss to Ryan Garcia on April 20, 2024. Devin looked terrible in that performance, being dropped three times.
Turki’s ‘No Tom & Jerry’ Decree
Although Haney won his last fight against Jose Ramirez by a 12-round unanimous decision on May 2, 2025, the frightened manner in which he fought made him look even worse than if he’d lost. Shortly after that Jerry-esque performance by Haney, Turki Alalshikh issued his famous no Tom and Jerry decree for his Riyadh Season events. Was it a result of Haney’s performance? It’s hard not to see it that way.
Haney-Norman Jr. will be fighting in the co-feature on the David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde card on DAZN PPV at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. Some fans believe that their fight should be the true main event on this card, as the clash between ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez and Yarde is seen as a mismatch.
— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) November 1, 2025