Boxing
Why unbeaten American star has a lot to prove right now
Ring IV Benavidez vs Yarde on DAZN PPV - Saturday
For a man with an unbeaten record, Devin Haney has a lot of questions to answer on Saturday night.
Haney bids to become a three-weight world champion when he challenges Brian Norman Jr. for his WBO welterweight title on the excellent Ring IV: Night of the Champions card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – live on DAZN PPV.
Haney was considered one of the top talents in the sport when he became undisputed lightweight champion and he also picked up further gold at super lightweight.
Despite being only 26, he already has claimed several major scalps, including Yuriorkis Gamboa, Jorge Linares, George Kambosos Jr. (twice), Vasyl Lomachenko and Regis Prograis.
However, things changed on 24 April, 2024 when Haney lost his invincibility at the rapid hands of Ryan Garcia.
BUY NOW HERE: Ring IV live and exclusive on DAZN PPV for £24.99 / $59.99
Ring MagazineGarcia dropped Haney three times on his way to claiming a majority decision over Haney and while the bout was later declared a no contest due to Garcia failing a drugs test, the damage to Haney may have already been done.
That is the conclusion many viewers came to when they saw how Haney performed in his next outing. He may have won nearly every round on all three judges’ scorecards, but Haney spent most of the night running rather than fighting and his output was extremely low.
That was on his welterweight debut against an ageing opponent who was also moving up in weight, so there are serious questions going into the Norman Jr. contest about how he will deal with the champion.
Norman Jr. is a true 147lb fighter and having stopped 22 of his 28 victims, he is one who carries serious power. Just ask Jin Sasaki, who was knocked out cold by a vicious left hook when he met Norman Jr. in Japan this summer.
Interestingly, the left hook is the punch that Garcia had so much success with against Haney, so all eyes will be on how the latter deals with Norman Jr.’s best shot this weekend.
It’s not that long ago that Haney was putting on boxing clinics against the likes of Kambosos Jr. and Prograis, so has he really gone gun-shy so quickly?
That is the question everyone tuning into DAZN PPV on Saturday wants to know.
All will be forgotten if Haney is at his best and outboxes the champion to pick up a title in a third different weight class. However, people are now wondering if he is running scared of being caught again now and that is what makes his contest with Norman Jr. so intriguing.
Watch Ring IV Norman Jr. vs. Haney live only on DAZN
Brian Norman Jr. vs. Devin Haney features on a star-studded Ring IV fight card in Riyadh this Saturday, November 22. Watch it exclusively on DAZN PPV for £24.99 / $59.99.
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