Haney wins controversial UD over Norman Jr

Devin Haney (33-0, 16 KOs) became a three-division world champion on Saturday night, defeating WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision in a painfully dull fight at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Riyadh.

(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)

Devin had a good start and Norman Jr. knocked down with a sneaky right hand in round two. He immediately ran at Norman but couldn’t land much of anything. The blows Haney received were slaps, without force, due to his overeagerness.

Haney fought well enough to win three rounds total in the fight. He was at his best in rounds 2, 5 and 11. Other than those three it was all Norman Jr.

Norman Jr. Chasing, Haney Hugging

Had Haney continued to fight like this, it would have been an excellent fight to watch. Unfortunately this was the only match effort from Devin, as the referee of the fight he just held and wrestled.

That was the highlight for Haney, round two. From there he mostly retreated and then Norman jr. grabbed and wrestled with him. The referee should have warned and penalized Haney for the hitting and wrestling. It was excessive.

Devin played the system by Norman Jr. to grab when he was close enough to throw. Every time the champion would try to engage, he was caught and held down, making the fight unwatchable.

The scores

Turki’s silence was the loudest response

Turki Alalshikh did not look happy in the front row watching the fight. He folded his hands throughout the competition, and one could tell that he didn’t seem excited about what he was watching. It was worse than a Tom and Jerry fight. It was more like seeing a human version of a sea ​​lamprey, grab and drain the energy from Norman Jr. for the whole fight.

Hype vs. Reality: A massive disappointment

The fight failed to live up to the huge build-up due to Haney’s constant pinning, which was clearly part of his strategy for victory.