WBO welterweight Brian Norman Jr. and two-division world champion Devin Haney are reportedly set to meet in the ring later this year according to a verbal agreement. While the current deal between the two fighters does signify a potential fight, whether it will actually occur will ultimately depend on whether both fighters will be signing on the dotted line.
According to BoxingScene, WBO welterweight (147 lbs) Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KO’s) has verbally agreed to face former undisputed lightweight (135 lbs) champion Devin Haney (32-0, 15 KO’s), yet no actual contracts have been signed ― highlighting a rather inconsequential agreement that only reveals there have been genuine attempts to arrange a fight between the two.
With the fight proposedly planned for later this year in November, the inclusion of it on a Riyadh Season or The Ring card is entirely possible and could explain the reason why there is no written agreement in place. If so, a potential co-headlining spot for Norman and Haney could be in the works on a card that could be headlined by a relevant fight such as a trilogy bout between Dmitry Bivol (24-1, 12 KO’s) and Artur Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KO’s).
If the potential bout would ensue, it would culminate in Haney attempting to become world champion in his third weight class ― with his last title win resulting in Haney becoming a two-division world champion after facing WBC super lightweight (140 lbs) champion Regis Prograis (29-3, 24 KO’s).
Though the 26-year old Haney is widely the more accomplished fighter, Norman would be going into the fight as the favorite, with several advantages including Norman being two years Haney’s junior ― as well as the knockout streak Norman has recorded since becoming an interim champion ― slimming down Haney’s chances of a win.
Further preventing more favorable odds for Haney is his proven inefficiency in defending against Ryan Garcia’s left hook during their April 20th match; a weapon that Brian Norman has also made key during his career. In all of Norman’s past three fights, his left hook proved to be unstoppable and seems to have been a contributing factor to his current knockout ratio of 78%.
Piling on Haney’s relatively low chances is the fact that Brian Norman, much like Haney himself has a well-balanced skillset, but is also known as a powerful puncher as his latest destructive victory over Jin Sasaki confirmed.
However, Haney has vast experience as a world champion and employs an elusive style that makes him difficult to land on ― a style that arguably backfired after his last fight with Jose Carlos Ramirez culminated in a historical low of fewest punches thrown in a 12-round fight.
