Haney Will Clinch Non-Stop Vs Norman Jr. On Nov. 22

Tim Bradley is advising WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. to use petroleum jelly or baby oil to escape when Devin Haney clinches all night in their fight on November 22nd. He expects Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) to hold excessively in every round to neutralize Norman Jr’s offense, as he’s done in many of his past fights.

Haney’s Clinch Blueprint

Bradley predicts that Devin will frequently grab Norman Jr. when trapped or after throwing punches to ensure he doesn’t fire anything back. The punch-and-grab technique, one of Devin’s tactics, has been employed for some time.

“You know Haney is known for tying up. It’s part of his tactics, part of his skillset. He uses that to the best of his ability,” said Tim Bradley on his channel about his belief that Devin Haney will be holding a lot against Brian Norman Jr. on November 22nd.

It goes without saying that Haney will be clinching constantly against Norman Jr. The movement is just one part of it. But what’s really going to make Norman Jr’s job difficult is the holding that Devin does.

Inside-Wrestling War

When he finally does chase Haney down, he’ll have to deal with being held tightly in a wrestling hold that is going to be difficult to escape from. It would help Norman Jr. if he had grappling experience because he would know how to escape the holds.

“You watch that first Kambosos fight. You watch how many times he [Haney] tied him up. Probably 60 times in a 12-round fight,” said Bradley.

It wasn’t just the Kambosos fight that Haney was holding constantly in. He did the same thing against Jose Ramirez, Ryan Garcia, Regis Prograis, and Jorge Linares. Watch the seventh round of Haney’s fight with Ryan last year on April 20, 2024. Devin looked like an octopus, grabbing Ryan, and the referee did not issue a warning or penalty. Interestingly, it was Garcia who lost a point.

Oil-Up Strategy

“Brian Norman Sr., get you some baby oil. Get some petroleum jelly because you’re going to have to put some of that under his [Norman Jr.] arms,” said Bradley. “That way the gloves slip out. So when he [Haney] grabs you and holds you, the gloves will slip out. That’s an old school trick.”

Norman Jr. will need more than petroleum jelly to deal with the hold from Haney. The best way to stop him from using this tactic is to work an arm free and hit him point-blank in the head with full power. If Norman Jr. does that often enough, Haney won’t hold. That’s if he doesn’t get knocked out from getting hit at close range by Norman Jr.

The wrestling takedown that Norman Jr. did to Devin’s heavyweight-sized bodyguard during their skirmish on July 10, 2025, in a hotel lobby near Times Square. Norman Jr.’s grappling move to take the bodyguard to the ground was impressive, showcasing his power.

“Besides that, he’s definitely going to have to get the jaws of life, because the referee is going to have to be strong as hell to try and pry Devin away from Norman. You know Devin Haney is going to do whatever it takes to win. He’ll grab you and hold you for dear life. That body work. Forget the head. Kill the body,” said Bradley.

Haney’s Dive-and-Hold Move

What could make Norman Jr’s job harder is that Haney often dives forward at the waist level to hold. It’s a strange way of initiating a clinch, as he resembles a football player. He’ll stay at that position, holding until the referee breaks without standing upright.

Norman Jr. is more of a headhunter. So, it’s unlikely that he’ll focus on Haney’s body unless he’s forced to, due to the stepback move he uses. If he takes advantage of the holding that Haney uses to nail him in a clinch, he won’t have to throw to the body.