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.