clicked
Roy Jones Jr: Pressure Is On Devin Haney, In Dangerous Brian Norman Fight
Ring Magazine
Article
Manouk Akopyan
Manouk Akopyan
RingMagazine.com
Roy Jones Jr: Pressure Is On Devin Haney, In Dangerous Brian Norman Fight
When it comes to talking about the bout between Brian Norman Jr. and Devin Haney, Hall of Fame fighter turned trainer, analyst, and promoter Roy Jones Jr. is torn straight down the middle.

Haney (32-0, 15 KOs, 1 NC) will make his welterweight debut when he takes on the WBO champion Norman (28-0, 22 KOs, 1 NC) on Saturday as part of “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” card in Saudi Arabia on DAZN PPV.

Haney, a former undisputed 135-pound champion and a 140-pound titleholder, is looking to become a three-division champion by beating Norman.




Norman, The Ring’s No. 1-ranked welterweight, is looking to make a third successful defense of his title and is riding high after knocking out his last three opponents, Giovani Santillan, Derrieck Cuevas, and, most recently in June, a devastating stoppage of Jin Sasaki in Japan.

“It's a tough fight that I really don't want to see happen,” Jones told The Ring. “I know both fighters, and I like both fighters a lot. They are both remarkable individuals, and I love and respect both of them. They both look up to me. I used to train Devin at one point. I can't sit here and bash my guy. With Norman, I've talked to him a couple of times, and he reminds me of the mentality that I had back in my day.

“In this case, Devin is trying to make a comeback. We didn't really see what we wanted to see out of him in his last fight against Jose Ramirez, which is not a good thing. Brian Norman is a guy on the rise, who's very hungry. If the opportunity is there, he's going to seize the moment. When you have a fight like that, it's much more dangerous, in my opinion, for Haney than it is for Norman. If Norman loses, so what. Haney is a former undisputed champion. If Haney loses, it's, 'Woah, you lost to an up-and-coming guy. Are you finished?' You feel me?

"The pressure is on Haney. However, I like both guys, so I am not going to elaborate much more on the fight. I'm in the middle of it, so I can't really say too much.”

Oddsmakers are unsure about how the fight will unfold, as well. DraftKings has it listed as a pick 'em at minus-110 on each side.

The Ring IV: Night of the Champions takes place on Saturday, November 22 and will stream live on DAZN PPV from 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. GMT (UK: £24.99; US: $59.99).


Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.


0/500
logo

Step into the ring of exclusivity!

Experience the thrill of boxing with our inside scoop on matches around the world.
logo
Download Our App
logologo
Strategic Partner
sponsor
Heavyweight Partners
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
Middleweight Partners
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
Lightweight Partners
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
Partners
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
Promoters
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
sponsor
Social media Channels
logo
logo
logo
logo
logo
logo
logo
© RingMagazine.com, LLC. 2025 All Rights Reserved.