Devin Haney Believes 147 Pounds Will Unlock His Best Form Against Brian Norman Jr.

Power vs. Craft

Norman (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC) has been wrecking opponents at 147, stopping all three of his welterweight title foes inside the distance. Haney (32-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC), by contrast, hasn’t scored a stoppage since his fourth-round TKO of Zaur Abdullaev in 2019, and has gone the full 12 rounds in nine straight fights.

Most recently, Haney scored a dominant unanimous decision over Jose Ramirez in a 144-pound catchweight bout on May 2 in Times Square, his second straight fight above lightweight.

“I feel a lot better,” Haney said. “I had a great camp last fight. My weight cut went good, but I think that I’ll be even stronger. 147 is just the division for me now.”

A New Chapter After a Loaded Lightweight Run

Though he says he was often drained at 135, Haney looks back proudly at his run as undisputed lightweight champion, which included wins over:

• Vasiliy Lomachenko

• George Kambosos Jr. (twice)

• Joseph Diaz Jr.

• Jorge Linares

• Yuriorkis Gamboa

Haney moved to junior welterweight after edging Lomachenko in a tense, high-level chess match in May 2023. Now, less than two years later. He’s betting that a fully fueled body at welterweight will finally allow his skills and his power to peak on fight night.

“I knew that I would be at 147 one day,” Haney said. “I didn’t know how long it would be or when it would, but I knew. My dad and trainer, Bill Haney has been telling me for a while that I was gonna be at my best at 147. I think he’s right.”

If he’s right, and if he can solve Norman on November 22, Devin Haney won’t just be a two-weight champion adjusting to a new division. He’ll be a three-division titleholder entering what he believes is the true prime of his career.