Devin Haney’s body transformation for his fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. many fans have questioned whether the added muscle will improve his performance on November 22, 2025 in Riyadh.
Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) bulked up in training camp, putting on plenty of size to compete at the full 147-lb weight for the welterweight division. Not only has Devin’s torso gotten bigger, but his head looks bigger too. It’s strange. He now looks like a T. rex.
That added muscle makes him look completely different from the fighter Jose Ramirez fought earlier this year on May 2, 2025 at Times Square in New York.
Build up: a risky move
It’s risky for Haney to put on that much size during one training camp without testing it against a lower-level fighter who lacks punching power. Picking up that much to beat arguably the biggest puncher in the welterweight division, Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs), facing him is a gamble.
Why mobility beats muscles
If anything, Devin, 27, should come into the fight lighter as he will have to rely on his legs to carry him around the ring for 12 straight rounds. If he sets his feet to throw with power, he will be at the mercy of Norman’s power punches. Haney doesn’t have the punch resistance to take power shots from a fighter like Norman Jr.
“If you put somebody in there with the same guys, and they’re going to do the same thing,” Devin Haney said Ring Champswhen asked what the ‘eye test’ tells him about how well Brian Norman Jr. on November 22 in their fight on the way. “I’ve been doing this at the highest level for how long?”
‘Highest level’? Let’s look at the resume
Question: Did Haney fight at the “highest level”? His resume does not reflect a fighter who has faced the top level of opponents. The only name on Devin’s resume that jumps out is Vasily Lomachenko, who was 35 when they fought on May 20, 2023.
After Haney rehydrated for the fight, he looked like a junior middleweight fighting a featherweight. He was huge compared to Lomachenko inside the ring.
Haney’s other “Top Tier” opponents:
- King Prograis – 35
- Yuriorkis Gamboa – 38
- Jorge Linares – 35
- Ryan Garcia – social media star
- Joseph ‘JoJo’ Diaz
- George Kambosos Jr. – one hit wonder
- Jose Ramirez – coming off a loss
- Zaur Abdullaev – fringe contender
- Antonio Moran – Ditto
- Juan Carlos Burgos – traveling companion
As one can see, Haney’s experience is limited to older fighters, those much smaller than him, and social media star, Ryan Garcia. You can’t count Haney’s win over Lomachenko for three reasons:
- Controversial nature: Many fans saw this as a robbery and believed Lomachenko should have won
- Size difference: Haney looked like a junior middleweight fighting a featherweight
- Age Difference: Loma was 35 and 3 months when he fought Devin.
Last updated on 25/10/2025
