Devin Haney shut down some skeptics and proved some doubters wrong, taking the WBO welterweight title in his full 147 lb debut.
Haney dropped Brian Norman Jr in the second round and otherwise smartly boxed his way to victory, taking scores of 114-113, 116-111, and 117-110 from the judges, winning a world title in a third weight class. Bad Left Hook unofficially scored the bout 116-111 for Haney, who improves to 33-0 (15 KO).
Haney’s knockdown wasn’t a mega-hard shot or anything, but it was well-timed and he caught Norman (28-1, 22 KO) open and over-committed to his own attempts at big offense. From there, we just didn’t see Norman press his usual aggression, and frankly the pace, tempo, and style of the fight was pretty much all Haney, with Norman looking a bit under-prepared for the level.
“In 2024, I lost everything, everything came crashing on me. In 2025, I came to get it back. In 2026, I’m coming for everything,” Haney said. “After I hurt (Norman) and dropped him, he made an adjustment, so we had to adjust to that, as well. He’s a true champion, he’s definitely better than I expected, and I give him credit and thank him for the opportunity.”
