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“At 147 you’ll see if I can really punch.”

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9 months ago

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Image: Devin Haney Promises to Silence Critics in Brian Norman Jr. Fight: “At 147, You’ll See If I Can Really Punch”

Devin Haney says his fight with WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. will show if he can “punch harder” in the full weight class at 147 pounds on November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyad.

Haney (32-0, 16 KO) sounded confident during an interview this week when talking about how his fight with Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KO) will allow him to prove the doubters wrong. They think he can’t punch and he can’t make a shot.

Haney doubters point out that Ryan Garcia and Jorge Linares have hurt him multiple times. 24-year-old Norman Jr. he is bigger and stronger than those players. He is also a deadly performer when hurting his opponent. So if Haney gets injured, he won’t be able to get out of trouble like he did against Ryan and Linares.

The question of power returns

“They say I can’t punch. Now, at 147, we’ll see. We’ll see if I can hit harder and take hits better,” Devin Haney said on Ariel Helwani’s channel YouTube. “That’s why this fight is so vital to me, because they say I can’t block a left hook.”

Six years without downtime

People say Haney can’t punch because the reality is he can’t. He has Rate 46.88% ORand hasn’t scored a knockout in six years, since he defeated Zaur Abdullaev in the fourth round of the event September 13, 2019. Since then, Haney hasn’t knocked out anyone in his last 10 fights. It’s quite a arid period. Surely if Devin had the power, he would have shown it over the last six years, right?

The weight Haney has put on this camp probably won’t give him enough power to be a knockout threat. Attempting to knock out Norman Jr. would be risky for Haney as he would have to stay still to sit on his punches. That’s a risky move against a knockout artist like Brian Jr.

If Haney beats his middleweight sparring partner, Troy Isley (15-0, 5 KO), during this camp, it doesn’t mean anything because he himself lacks power.

Why Haney’s style won’t save him

“We saw him take a guy down in Brian Norman’s last fight [Jin Sasaki] frigid left hook. They say I can’t take a punch. We have a guy who is powerful and can hit. From what they say, he’s my kind of kryptonite,” Devin said.

It’s not really about Norman Jr. was wrong about Haney’s fighting style. Rather, the point is that Norman Jr. is too powerful for him because his resistance to blows is not on par with someone at his power level.

There are certain fighters that a fighter with a frail jaw like Haney shouldn’t fight. Put Devin with a ponderous, elderly guy like Jose Ramirez or Regis Prograis and he’s in his element. But if you compare Haney to Ryan Garcia or Norman Jr., it falls apart. It will evaporate on impact. This is the reality.

“That’s why this fight is so vital to me, because I want to turn non-believers into believers and prove the doubters and non-believers wrong,” Haney said.

Can Haney handle the real power?

This fight will likely cement the fact that Devin doesn’t belong at 147 pounds and should stay away from anyone in power for the rest of his career. His father, Bill Haney, did a good job maneuvering him. However, in this case, he is the wrong type of player for Haney.

For Haney, after November 22, it doesn’t have to mean the end of the world. Bill just needs to refocus by staying away from these players:

  • Ryan Garcia
  • Rolando “Rolly” Romero
  • Lewis Crocker
  • Gary Antuanne Russell
  • Teofimo Lopez
  • Ernesto Mercado
  • Keyshawn Davis
  • Liam Paro
  • Subriel Matias
  • Shakhram Giasov

Tom Galm: Reality awaits in Riyad

On November 22, he will reveal what awaits Devin’s survival in the treacherous waters at the age of 147, as he must face the many shark-like predators that will hunt him. Norman Jr. again. is just one of many ponderous hitters in the welterweight division.

His destruction of weight will be a clear sign that Devin needs to return to his original weight of 140, and possibly even 135. It would make no sense to remain at 147 if he was massacred by Norman Jr., as many boxing fans predict.

Last update: 10/30/2025

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Boxing

Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshuas Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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"Usyk Analyzes Anthony Joshua's Performance Against Kristian Prenga After Overcoming Two Knockdowns"

Oleksandr Usyk has shared his reaction to Anthony Joshua‘s dramatic knockout victory against Kristian Prenga.

Usyk nearly suffered his own shock defeat in May when he was pushed to the limit by kickboxing star Rico Verhoevenand two months on it was nrw teammate Joshua’s turn to come close to a massive upset loss that would have stunned the heavyweight division.

The Brit was dropped twice by massive underdog Prenga in the opening round of their clash in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, but ‘AJ’ managed to recover and record a big knockdown of his own in the second round that resulted in the stoppage victory.

Joshua and Usyk now train together, having famously had two battles for the unified world heavyweight title in 2021 and 2022, and the Ukrainian has had his say on his stablemate’s victory over Prenga.

Speaking to TalkSporttwo-time undisputed champion Usyk praised Joshua, insisting ‘AJ is back’ before predicting that Joshua will now claim a knockout win over long-term rival Tyson Fury in his next bout.

“Anthony Joshua is next undisputed champion. First round it’s a test but AJ is back.

It’s boxing, [the] big upper cut is good, it’s a knockdown. AJ [come] back and win.

“Greedy Belly [Fury] will speak now and say weak chin, Greedy Belly get out. AJ wins [against Fury], [he will] knock him out.”

Fury was victorious on Friday as he earned a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach in Thailand, paving the way for the showdown against Joshua later this year.

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Boxing

Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshuas Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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"Jake Paul Reacts to Anthony Joshua's Stunning Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Two Early Knockdowns"

Jake Paul was the last man to fight Anthony Joshua and he has now revealed his verdict on AJ’s chaotic victory over Kristian Prenga.

Joshua went up against Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturdayin a clash that was expected to be a comfortable win for the former world heavyweight champion in order to set up the long overdue battle against Tyson Fury.

Any hopes of seeing that clash were nearly ended after AJ was dropped twice in the opening round of the bout, though he was able to recover and claim the second round knockout to come out on top and prevent a stunning shock upset from taking place.

Saturday’s outing saw Joshua back in the ring for the first time since his sixth round triumph over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul back in Decemberand now ‘The Problem Child’ himself has shared his reaction to his former rival’s victory over Prenga.

Posting on social mediaPaul praised AJ for earning the win, after returning to action following the tragic car crash he was involved in at the end of last year which took the lives of his two close friends.

“Happy for Joshua with that win after all he’s been through. Remembering Sina and Latz with this one.”

The win for Joshua should now tee up for meeting with Fury later this year, after ‘The Gypsy King’ held up his end of the bargain by also securing a win in his warm-up bout on Friday, securing a seventh round retirement win against Mariusz Wach.

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Boxing

Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshuas Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

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1 day ago

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July 25, 2026

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Tony Bellew Reviews Anthony Joshua's Comeback Victory Over Kristian Prenga After Knockdown Drama

Anthony Joshua may have earned a knockout win over Kristian Prenga but the fight certainly didn’t unfold as most people expected.

Joshua was facing the Albanian in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, and it looked like a massive upset could be on the cards when he was dropped twice in the opening round.

‘AJ’ was able to recover and went on to secure a second round knockout victory to prevent the shock lossseemingly paving the way for the battle against Tyson Fury later this year.

One man who was ringside to witness the battle was former cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellewand he praised Joshua’s ability to turn things around in the fight after describing it as ‘chaos’.

“We predicted round two but I don’t think we foresaw that. That was chaos. He doesn’t see the uppercut coming and finds himself on the floor without knowing how he got there.

“The second one he did see it coming and he was able to clench down on the jaw. He got up and then the experience that he has he used tonight because he tied him up. Against Andy Ruiz he didn’t know what he was doing and didn’t know how to do that, but tonight he did.

“He showed once again there is no quit. To be that hurt in the first round and get up, that’s the recoveries of power. People talk about your chin, but it’s not, it’s the level of fitness that gets you up from the floor.

“When Joshua gets a fighter hurt he’s the best finisher in the division. Whenever he hurts someone they’re gone. I haven’t seen him drop anybody and they survive, only Andy Ruiz. He’s a ruthless finisher.”

The clash between Joshua and Fury is now expected to be announced soon for later this year, after Fury won his own interim fight on Friday by defeating Mariusz Wach.

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