Devin Haney is predicted to make use of his boxing abilities to neutralize WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr’s energy to coast to a choice win on Saturday night time of their bout on DAZN PPV.
(Credit score: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Haney’s Survival Blueprint
Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) must shut down the offense of the unbeaten Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) to maintain from winding up in the identical place as his final opponent, Jin Sasaki, by getting flattened.
We already understand how the combat will play out. Devin will contact and transfer all night time, making it ugly. He desires the win and doesn’t care if it’s not entertaining. Turki Alalshikh possible gained’t enable Haney to again right into a rematch with Ryan Garcia, with him coming off a knockout loss in opposition to Norman Jr.
That will make a mockery of a second combat, sending the message that it’s not about benefit. It’s a reputation contest.
“The factor about energy is it’s not sufficient in the case of elite boxers. Devin Haney is an elite boxer with top-of-the-line jabs in boxing. It’s the chin that’s actually questionable on Devin Haney,” stated commentator Sergio Mora to DAZN Boxing about whether or not Brian Norman Jr’s energy can be sufficient to steer him to victory over Devin Haney on Saturday.
The Chin Query
The chin is what actually counts on this combat on Saturday. It doesn’t matter how good a boxer Haney is. If he can’t take Norman Jr’s energy, he’s not going to make it to the twelfth.
This isn’t a combat during which Haney can have a six-to-eight-inch attain benefit over Norman Jr, permitting him to combat on the surface all night time with out getting touched. Norman Jr. has the longer attain, and he’s not going to be afraid to stroll via Haney’s punches to land his energy pictures.
Mora goes overboard in classifying Haney as an “elite boxer.” The fighters he beat at 135 had been smaller than him. He was basically a welterweight combating at light-weight. Haney’s skill to empty down nicely under his pure dimension gave him an incredible benefit.
Devin solely fought one good fighter at 135, Vasily Lomachenko, and his win was controversial. He was on the tail finish of his profession at 35, combating two divisions above his greatest weight class of 126.
We may name Haney an “elite boxer” if he stayed at light-weight and beat Andy Cruz, Adbullah Mason, Floyd Schofield, or Gervonta Davis.
“What Devin Haney are we going to get? Are we going to get the grasp boxer that we noticed, the weak chin that we noticed in opposition to Ryan Garcia, or the skittish Devin Haney that we noticed in his final combat in opposition to Jose Ramirez? These are the questions which are going to get answered,” stated Mora.
Anticipate an Ugly Struggle
One has to imagine that on Saturday night time, we’re going to get the identical “skittish” model of Haney that we witnessed in his final combat in opposition to Jose Ramirez within the stacked ‘Deadly Fury: Metropolis of the Wolves’ occasion at Instances Sq. in New York on Could 2, 2025.
Devin appeared afraid of Ramirez always, operating your entire 12 rounds and never standing nonetheless lengthy sufficient to throw a couple of punch at a time. If Haney was afraid to change with the 33-year-old Ramirez, he’ll possible be the identical manner in opposition to Brian Norman Jr., who is a big puncher with both hand.
