Hearn Says Haney Norman Jr Fight Was Boring And Lack Action!

Promoter Eddie Hearn said he wasn’t impressed with Devin Haney’s performance in his win over WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. last Saturday night in their chief support fight on Turki Alalshikh’s event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)

Hearn stated that Bill Haney wasn’t happy with him calling Devin’s performance “boring,” but he said he was being honest. He says Haney (33-0, 15 KOs) looks like a fighter that doesn’t want to “engage,” and he’s “not good to watch.”

Turki’s Silent Disapproval

Haney did the minimum, throwing only a handful of punches in the entire 12-round fight, and spending most of the time grabbing Norman Jr. and holding. Turki had his arms folded during Haney’s performance, looking unhappy with what he was watching.

There were long stretches during the Haney-Norman Jr. match with no action, mostly because Haney held and wrestled Norman whenever he came into range. In Devin’s fight against Ryan Garcia, he was getting hit with the short check left hook that is Kingry’s trademark.

Why Norman Jr. Was Easy to Smother

Norman Jr. doesn’t possess the same quick-release left hook. So, Haney was able to grab him repeatedly and hold him to nullify his offense. With the money Haney was paid for the fight, he provided very little entertainment.

“No,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground when asked if he was impressed with Devin Haney’s performance against Brian Norman Jr. last Saturday night. “Bill [Haney], they’re not happy with me because I said it was boring. How boring was it?

Devin’s No-Engagement Style

“I said on the broadcast, I give Devin respect. He’s become a three-division champion, but it ain’t good to watch. He doesn’t want to engage at all. I’m not having a go at him. I’m just being honest. He doesn’t look like a guy that really wants to be in there. Well done to him,” said Hearn.

It was asking for trouble to have Haney in the co-feature spot after his last dull performance against Jose Ramirez on May 2, 2025. It’s unclear what Turki was expecting from Haney after that effort. But he’s got to know by now, this is the kind of thing he’s going to see from him.

Style That Turns Fans Off

It would be fine if Devin’s fights were buried on the prelim away from the main card. But for him to be the co-feature, these are the kinds of performances we’re going to see from him. He was clinching even when he fought Ryan Garcia. This isn’t new behavior from him. He’s been fighting like this for ages, and it’s a waste of broadcast time to have a fighter who is going to hold or run for 12 rounds.

Turki wants to save boxing to make it mainstream like it was during the Muhammad Ali era. That’s not going to work if he loads his cards with fighters that don’t connect with what fans want to see. It’s not just Haney that puts on boring performances.

Shakur Stevenson is the same way, and to a certain extent, so is Terence Crawford. Turki has been using all three at his events. Thus far, none of them have looked impressive in their fights since he started using them for his cards in 2024.

Hearn’s “No Comment” Says Plenty

“No comment,” said a smiling Hearn when asked what Turki Alalshikh thought of Haney’s performance against Norman Jr.

When told that Turki had said about ‘Tom and Jerry,’ Hearn continued to smile, saying, “No comment.”