Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn today confirmed what many fans already suspected about Devin Haney: yes “he’s afraid of being hit” since the fight with Ryan Garcia.

Hearn says Devin’s dad, Bill Haney, is worried about his son “impact resistance”. So he expects Haney (32-0, 16 KO) to be in constant motion to avoid shots in his title fight with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KO) November 22, 2025 because it is a powerful punch with the strength of both hands.

Logic dictates that he will run away again

Hearn says he doesn’t think Devin will run away from Norman Jr. like he did on May 2 against Jose Ramirez earlier this year. He believes this was just a one-off situation where Haney had to be careful as he was seriously injured multiple times in his previous fight against Ryan Garcia on April 20, 2024.

“Devin and Bill [Haney] they’re especially worried about getting hit, and that’s a really bad situation when you’re fighting, especially when you’re fighting someone who can punch tough,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. media.

It’s unclear why Devin wouldn’t run even further against Norman Jr. than against Ramirez. It doesn’t make sense for Haney to suddenly fight aggressively with a much bigger punch than Ramirez did against Norman Jr.

If he’s going to run for the hills against leisurely ancient Ramirez, why wouldn’t he run even harder against a younger, stronger fighter with one-punch power like Norman Jr? I don’t think Hearn has thought this through.

Can Devin stay in the pocket?

Logically, you would assume that Devin would run non-stop for the full 12 rounds, a classic example of Jerry’s style of fighting. This wouldn’t be in Haney’s best interest because Turki Alalshikh will be in the audience and he’s clearly paying him well. Turki needed to have one no run clause built into the contract with Haney. So if he decides to do a Jerry-like act despite his “No Tom and Jerry” mandate, he won’t get the full amount of money.

Fans may not boo Haney because the event is taking place in Riyad, but people watching the event on DAZN PPV at home in the US will be furious paying to watch this type of performance.

“He’s Bill’s son and Bill doesn’t want him to get hit. They are also concerned about its impact resistance. This is true. And if you’re worried about your impact resistance, I think it’s a hazardous game. So Devin will get on the bike against Brian Norman and try to outsmart him,” Hearn said of Haney.

Clinch trap

Given the power of Norman’s punch, it won’t aid Haney to run around the ring hoping not to get hit. He’ll get there often enough to land bombs that will be more powerful than the ones Ryan repeatedly dropped on Haney.

Norman Jr. he has power in both hands, not just the left. However, this would be the hand that Norman should focus on as Devin has shown that he is unable to block Garcia’s left hook. It hit him all night long.

Haney’s habit of over-holding will put him in striking range of Norman Jr. when he reaches out to catch him in the clinch. This is how Kingry was able to hit him. He just waited for Devin to lunge forward to hold him, and then he watched him. He didn’t last that long in his last fight against Ramirez, but he didn’t have to.

Ramirez was so leisurely that he couldn’t cut off the ring that trapped him in the ropes like Ryan did. If this were the case, we would likely see Haney over-holding, as this is a strategy he has used in the past to neutralize his opponents’ attacks.