Tim Bradley advises WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. to use petroleum jelly or baby oil to escape when Devin Haney ends the night in their November 22 fight. He expects Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) to hold excessively in each round to neutralize Norman Jr’s offense, as he has in many of his previous fights.
Haney’s Clinch blueprint
Bradley predicts that Devin Norman Jr. will frequently grab when blocked or after throwing punches to ensure he doesn’t fire anything back. The hit-and-grab technique, one of Devin’s tactics, has been used for some time.
“You know Haney is known for holding on. It’s part of his tactic, part of his skill set. He uses it to the best of his ability,” Tim Bradley said on his channel about his belief that Devin Haney has a lot going against Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd.
It goes without saying that Haney will constantly square off against Norman Jr. The movement is only one part of it. But what’s going to make Norman Jr’s job really difficult is the hold that Devin does.
Indoor wrestling war
When he finally pursues Haney, he will have to deal with being held tightly in a wrestling grip that will be difficult to escape from. It will Norman Jr. helps if he has fighting experience because he will know how to escape the blows.
“You look at that first Kambosos fight. You look at how many times he (Haney) tied him up. Probably 60 times in a 12-round fight,” Bradley said.
It wasn’t just the Kambosos fight that kept Haney up. He did the same thing against Jose Ramirez, Ryan Garcia, Regis Prograis and Jorge Linares. Watch the seventh round of Haney’s fight with Ryan last year on April 20, 2024. Devin looked like an octopus, grabbing Ryan, and the referee did not issue a warning or penalty. Interestingly, it was Garcia who lost a point.
Oil-on strategy
“Brian Norman Sr., get you some baby oil. Get some petroleum jelly because you’re going to have to put some of that under his (Norman Jr.) arms,” Bradley said. “That’s how the gloves slip off. So when he (Haney) grabs you and holds you, the gloves will slip off. It’s an old school trick.”
Norman Jr. will need more than petroleum jelly to deal with the hold of Haney. The best way to stop him from using this tactic is to free an arm and hit him in the head with full force. If Norman Jr. do it often enough, Haney won’t last. That’s if he doesn’t get knocked out when he’s hit by Norman Jr. at close range.
The wrestling match that Norman Jr. did to Devin’s heavyweight-sized bodyguard during their skirmish on July 10, 2025, in a hotel lobby near Times Square. Norman Jr. ‘s grappling move to take the bodyguard to the ground was impressive and showcased his strength.
“Besides that, he’s definitely going to have to get the jaws of life, because the ref is going to be strong as hell trying to pull Devin away from Norman. You know Devin Haney is going to do whatever it takes to win. He will grab you and hold you for life. That body work. Forget the head. Kill the body,” Bradley said.
Haney’s dive and hold move
What can make Norman Jr’s job more difficult is that Haney often dives forward at waist level to hold on. It’s a strange way to start a clinch considering he looks like a football player. He will remain in that position and hold until the referee breaks without standing up.
Norman Jr. is more of a headhunter. So he’s unlikely to focus on Haney’s body unless he’s forced to, due to the step-back motion he uses. If he takes advantage of the hold Haney uses to clinch him, he won’t need to throw to the body.
Last updated on 15/11/2025
