Haney Wins Controversial UD Over Norman Jr

Devin Haney (33-0, 16 KOs) became a three-division world champion on Saturday night, defeating WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) by clinching his way to a 12-round unanimous decision in a painfully dull fight at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)

Devin had a good start, knocking Norman Jr. down with a sneaky right hand in round two. He flurried on Norman immediately after, but couldn’t land much of anything. The punches Haney landed were slaps, lacking power, due to his overeagerness.

Haney fought well enough to win three rounds total in the fight. He was at his best in rounds 2, 5, and 11. Other than those three, it was all Norman Jr.

Norman Jr. Chasing, Haney Hugging

If Haney had continued to fight like this, it would have been an excellent fight to watch. Unfortunately, this was the only game effort from Devin, as the referee of the fight, he just held and wrestled.

That was the high point for Haney, round two. From there, he was mostly retreating and then grabbing Norman Jr. and wrestling him. The referee should have warned and penalized Haney for the holding and wrestling. It was beyond excessive.

Devin gamed the system by grabbing Norman Jr. whenever he got near enough to throw. Each time the champion would attempt to engage, he was caught and held, making the fight unwatchable.

The scores

Turki’s Silence Was the Loudest Reaction

Turki Alalshikh didn’t look pleased in the front row watching the fight. He had his hands folded throughout the contest, and one could tell that he didn’t appear excited at what he was watching. This was worse than a Tom and Jerry fight. It was more like watching a human version of a sea lamprey, grabbing and draining the energy out of Norman Jr. for the entire fight.

Hype vs. Reality: A Massive Letdown

The fight failed to live up to the huge build-up due to Haney’s constant clinching, which was clearly part of his strategy for victory.