Devin Haney Plans to ‘Turn Nonbelievers To Believers’

Talking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Haney admitted that he has many doubters who believe there isn’t enough power to support his punches. A delusion he hopes to dispel in the upcoming fight.

“They say I can’t punch. Now at 147, we’re going to see. We’re going to see if I punch harder, if I can take a punch better. That’s why this fight is so important to me, because they say I can’t block a left hook,” he said.

While Haney believes that the critics are wrong, there might actually be some truth to their concerns. With only 15 knockouts out of 32 fights, his knockout ratio falls well below 50 percent. Additionally, the last time he knocked someone out inside the ring was back in 2019, when he fought Antonio Moran.

While he is coming in seven pounds heavier, only fight night will tell if he can finish with a knockout. On the other hand, Norman Jr. has a much higher knockout ratio. However, Haney believes that this isn’t enough to knock him out.

“We’ve seen in Brian Norman’s last fight that he knocked the guy cold with a left hook. They say I can’t take a punch. We’ve got a guy that is strong, that can punch. For what they say, he’s kryptonite to my style,” he said. “That’s why this fight is such an important fight for me to turn nonbelievers into believers, to prove the doubters and the naysayers wrong.”

“Is This Guy Dangerous”

Meanwhile, his father, Bill Haney, wasted no time in backing up his son. In an interview with FightHub TV, the older Haney expressed confidence in the “masterclass” performance his son is about to deliver.

“Is the guy dangerous? Does he have a left hook that put a guy [Jin Sasaki] in the hospital, a guy that said he forgot two weeks of his life,” he said talking about Norman. However, that didn’t dull his confidence in his son one bit.

“It’s a great opportunity for Devin to become a three-division champion. It’s three division champions. Regis Prograis at 140. Of course, we know at 135 in Australia with George Kambosos. Now, we have 147,” he said. “Watch what you see on November 22nd. Listen, he’s going to put on a masterclass performance, one for the ages. Is he the man of the division?”