Brian Norman Jr will defend his WBO world welterweight title against Devin Haney on November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight marks Haney's debut in the 147-pound division.
Haney, a 26-year-old from California, moves up to welterweight after holding titles at lightweight and super-lightweight. He last fought on May 2, outpointing Jose Ramirez in a 144-pound catch weight bout in New York. Haney originally planned to face Ryan Garcia, but that fight fell through when Garcia lost to Rolando Romero.
Norman Jr, 24, from Georgia, has made a big impact in boxing over the last year and a half. He's defended his title twice already. In his last fight, he knocked out Jin Sasaki in the fifth round in Tokyo, Japan. That was Norman Jr's 22nd career knockout.
Former two-weight world champion Tim Bradley thinks Norman Jr will win. He shared his thoughts in a recent video:
"Woke up this morning, been studying Haney, been studying Norman Jr – hey I'm here to tell y'all right now, you Haney fans, it's not gonna go as well as you think it's gonna go. I think Dad, you made a mistake, you made a big mistake man, yes you did."
Bradley believes Norman Jr should get close to Haney and throw lots of punches:
"Look man, all you gotta do if you want to beat Haney right, all you gotta do is let your hands go, get close and let your hands go, it's simple, it's not hard at all, it ain't rocket science, don't be sitting there and play tit for tat or sword fight with this dude, don't sword fight with him, all you gotta do is take it to him, bring that pain."
The former champ sees flaws in Haney's technique:
"Boy you are going to get knocked out by a left hook, I promise you. I see the mistakes you're making. The left hook you're throwing is terrible. Norman will see that coming. I'm telling you, this fight is dangerous for Haney. I'm predicting a knockout win for Norman Jr, a late stoppage, he's going to catch him, he's going to hurt him and it's going to be all she wrote."
The fight promises to be a big test for both men. Haney aims to prove himself in a new weight class, while Norman Jr looks to cement his status as one of boxing's rising stars.
