According to Brian Norman Jr., the difference in experience between him and Devin Haney heading into their November 22nd battle in Riyadh is irrelevant. He insists that the necessary talent is innate; “either you have it or you don’t.”
Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBO welterweight title against Haney (32-0, 16 KOs) on DAZN PPV, an event taking place at the ANB Arena in Riyadh.
Norman Jr.’s Underdog Mentality
“Either you’re born with it or you’re not. My goal is to demonstrate what I’m capable of. Since my amateur days, I’ve carried an underdog mentality,” Brian Norman Jr. stated in an interview with Tru Media Podcast. In response to a question about the personal nature of his fight with Devin Haney, Norman Jr. said, “I’m here to take someone’s head clean off and feed my family.”
Norman Jr. is addressing the opinions of Haney and his father, Bill Haney, who both feel he lacks the experience needed for victory. They are reportedly unfamiliar with his past opponents and unconvinced that he has faced sufficiently challenging competition to warrant his current position.
“Every opponent he intimidated submitted and allowed him to win. What happened when someone finally challenged ‘Deebo’ and fought back? What happened when ‘Deebo’ got struck by that brick?” Norman Jr. questioned, using Haney’s well known nickname, ‘Deebo’ instead of directly referring to him by name.
The fighter who “challenged” Haney was Ryan Garcia, who achieved a 12-round majority decision victory over him last year on April 20, 2024. Unfortunately for Garcia, the victory was nullified after he tested positive for a prohibited substance. Haney opted against using significant movement in that fight, choosing instead to adopt a more aggressive fighting style, which ultimately left him exposed.
Does Muscle Mass Really Determine Victory?
“He claims that muscle mass isn’t crucial for success, but he’s also focusing on adding muscle. Just because you’re going up to another weight division doesn’t necessarily mean you can hit harder,” Norman Jr. noted in reference to Haney.
Norman Jr. is responding to Haney’s remark that he is overly muscular and that muscle mass doesn’t secure victories. However, Devin is noticeably attempting to gain weight for this upcoming fight, suggesting that he might, in fact, believe that muscle mass can play a role in achieving success. He does appear somewhat larger than usual, but it probably won’t matter.
