Norman Sr. Surprised Haney fought his Son

Brian Norman Sr. says he is “surprise” that Devin Haney has agreed to support his son, WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) to fight on November 22nd in Riyadh. He believes 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, this is a fight Haney was offered by Turki Alalshikh for his Riyadh Season event, Ring IV, following 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 fightbut i understand it’s more of an ego thing. It’s you to preserve your reputation that you have,” said Brian Norman Sr Ring Magazine about the surprise of Devin Haney fighting the dangerous puncher, Brian Norman Jr.

The timing that Haney was asked to compete against Norman Jr. to fight may have put him in a position where he felt compelled to accept the match. He was relentlessly booed by fans over his performance against the veteran Ramirez because of how he performed.

Haney looked like a classic definition of a Jerry-like fightermove throughout. If you were Devin, would you feel comfortable saying no to the Brian Norman Jr. fight after the way he looked against Jose Ramirez?

The public pressure trap

“You have a reputation for not shying away from fights. It was made public that this fight was offered. Once it was made public, they honestly had no choice but to take it in my opinion,” Norman Sr. said.

There is a huge advantage for Haney to take the fight against Norman Jr. to take If he wins, he’s right back on top and likely to be offered the rematch with Ryan Garcia in 2026 immediately. Devin would make millions in a second fight with Ryan, and could make a career recovery.

‘The Platinum Triangle’ of Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Holmby Hills It will all be affordable for Haney if he picks up wins over Norman Jr. and Ryan Garcia can score. He was able to load up the truck and move to Beverly. This would be the ideal career turnaround for Devin, and all he has to do is get Norman Jr. and defeating Kingry in back-to-back battles to realize that vision.

Fix or wreck 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 accept the fight with Norman Jr because the upside is huge.