Haney’s Clinch-Heavy Win Reveals Limits Against Top Welters

Devin Haney’s victory over what some fans viewed as the #1 fighter at 147, WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr., last Saturday, has made Haney temporarily the top fighter in the division.

There are five welterweights in the division that Haney would have to do a lot more than moving and holding to defeat. While the clinch-heavy game plan that Devin utilized against Norman Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) was effective, that strategy wouldn’t be effective against the top apex predators in the division.

It takes more than holding to beat these five:

• Ryan Garcia
• Karen Chukhadzhian
• Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero
• Shakhram Giyasov
• Jack Catterall

There’s an excellent chance that all five of those contenders would find a workaround if Devin chose to use the exact blueprint for the Norman Jr. fight against them. They’re older than Brian Jr, and it takes more than diving forward to hold to defeat these welterweights.

“No fighter can beat me on an even playing field,” said Haney after his win over Norman Jr. last Saturday. He added that he was “levels above” him, despite the contest having very little action because of the holding Devin used.

Haney (33-0, 15 KOs) didn’t look like gold last Saturday, beating Norman Jr. by a 12-round unanimous decision by the scores 114-113, 116-111, and 117-110.

What we can say is that Haney was better than Norman Jr., but that’s all we know for sure. He neutralized his offense by holding all night, but looked nothing like a #1 fighter in the division with that victory.

In Devin’s loss to Ryan on April 20, 2024, he held a lot early and was clipped in round seven when he attempted to grab him to clinch. If Haney uses holding in a second fight with Garcia, it could get him in trouble. Kingry’s short, fast check-left hook is the perfect weapon for a fighter who uses frequent holding the way Haney does.

Until Devin cleans out the division, all we can say is he’s one of the sixth-best fighters at 147.  If some of the fighters from the 140-lb division move up, he might not even be among the top 10. There are some real talents at 140 now that would quickly figure out Haney’s fighting style and dominate him. If all he can do is hold and throw 70 punches per fight, he’s not going to beat the top guys.

Light welterweights Sharks

• Keyshawn Davis
• Teofimo Lopez
• Emiliano Vargas
• Subriel Matias
• Alberto Puello
• Jamaine Ortiz
• Ernesto Mercado
• Richardson Hitchins
• Gabriel Valenzuela