Gary Antuanne Russell: Haney “Damaged,” Norman Jr. Fight A “Done Deal” If Touched

Gary Antuanne Russell believes Devin Haney has got the “smarts” to dethrone WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. in November. Russell thinks Haney (32-0, 15 KOs) can win, but he can’t afford to “get touched” because if he does, it’s a “Done deal.”

“Damaged” Haney Post-Garcia

Russell thinks Haney is “damaged” from his fight against Ryan Garcia, and that’s why he was on the move the entire fight last May in his fight against Jose Ramirez in Times Square in New York City. That’s why Devin is going to be in survival mode against Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs). He doesn’t have confidence in his chin.

“Devin Haney has got the smarts to pull that fight out, but he can’t get touched,” said Gary Antuanne Russell to Cigar Talk, analyzing the November fight between Brian Norman Jr. and Devin Haney. “If he gets touched, it’s a done deal.”

It’s going to be next to impossible for Haney to go through an entire 12 rounds against Norman Jr. without getting hit. He got hit in his last fight against Jose Ramirez, and he was on the run the entire time. Haney will get hit at some point, and it might be when he attempts to clinch.

Norman Jr.’s “Thumpers,” Haney’s Feints

“One thing about Brian Norman is he has thumpers in both hands, but he’s slow,” said Russell. “He’s slow on his feet. Devin Haney is going to feint his a**, stick his a**, grab his a**. He’s going to do everything to survive. Before you know it, these are rounds he’s putting in the bank. Brian Norman can’t be effective enough to be a winner.”

Norman Jr. closed the distance well in his fight against Jin Sasaki on June 19th. He may look like he’s got slow feet, but he steps forward fast, and he’s got long enough arms to reach Haney if he’s running. We’ll all know Devin is going to run. If he wants to continue to get these Riyadh Season gigs from Turki Alalshikh, he’ll choose to mix it up with Norman Jr. because it’s going to look bad if he’s moving around the ring all night.

“He’s got to get more points in these rounds. He’s got to put these rounds in the bank. Brian Norman is going to be inactive when it comes to a fighter like him,” said Russell. “Devin Haney doesn’t let you get points off him no more. I told y’all, he’s damaged after Ryan Garcia.”

If Norman Jr. can’t land due to Haney moving all over the place, he won’t be able to throw his own shots. He can’t beat Norman by jabbing all night. He’s got to engage so he can land some meaningful punches to impress the judges. Haney looked “damaged” in his fight with Jose Ramirez. You could tell that he was worried about getting hit. The beating he took against Ryan has left him a cowering shell of the fighter he’d been.

Norman Jr. Forces Engagement

“So, now he’s trying to recoup and start from scratch. He don’t fight the same. In his last fight at Times Square, he was on his bicycle. He [Jose Ramirez] used a feint, and he [Haney] was halfway across the ring. But it worked. Brian Norman ain’t hiding nothing. He’s going to let you know it’s a fight. ‘Let me catch you with one of these,’” said Russell.

Norman Jr. is going to walk Haney down GGG style and force him to engage. What we don’t know yet is how big the ring will be for the Norman Jr-Haney fight. It’s likely that Turki will insist on an 18-foot ring, which will make it hard for Devin to elude Norman Jr.