Bill Haney melts over ‘close combat’ question about Devin

Bill Haney didn’t want to hear about the possibility that his son Devin Haney’s fight against WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. could be “soon” on November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh. He said he just wants to think about Devin (32-0, 16 KOs) “dominating and controlling” the entire contest.

Norman Jr. was not built to be dominated

The main problem is that no one dominates Norman Jr. (28-0, 22 KOs). He’s undefeated, has one-punch knockout power in both hands, and it just takes one shot and it’s over.

Sasaki warns of amnesia

Norman’s last opponent, Jin Sasaki, reportedly lost memory of the end of their fight after being knocked out cold in the fifth round on June 19, 2025. “I don’t even remember the title fight being set,” Sasaki told Japanese media.

“I want to think about Devin going in there and controlling every moment of the fight. Let’s think about that. Let’s imagine that. Let’s make them think about that,” Bill Haney said. Ysm sports mediabecame upset when asked about the possibility of a close Devin Haney vs. Brian Norman Jr. fight on November 22.

The moment Bell was asked about the possibility of Devin’s fight with Norman Jr. being close, he looked like he was ready to throw a fit. He didn’t want to hear that, even if it was just an assumption.

Denial or defense mechanism?

You can tell by Bale’s reaction to a simple question that he knows this fight could go badly for Haney. He’s coming off an easy 3-KO loss to Ryan Garcia last year on April 20, 2024. Why get upset?

If Bill really thought Devin had it in the bag, why did he blow the gasket? I’ve seen this method many times. When someone reacts this way, it is a sign that they do not believe victory is possible.

If Norman Jr. connects with the type of shots he landed on his last opponent, Jin Sasaki, it will be over. Those punches were on another level than the left hooks Yan repeatedly used to drop Devin at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Bill exits, and the interview ends

“Who are they (Norman Jr.) out there like Devin Haney? So, let them think about it and work on it, and we’ll be Devin Haney and we’ll shut the a** down,” Bill said, getting angrier, and left.

Bill just walked out of the interview after making that comment. He looked angry, leaving the interviewer speechless. All with one simple hypothesis of what would be a close fight against Norman Jr.

If Haney gets fired like Sasaka by Norman, it’s not the end of the world. He can always come back. With the right matchmaking, he can rebuild, but it’s clear he’d be better off forgetting about fighting at welterweight. There are too many sharks in the department with the power of pure kryptonite.

Written by Ken Woods, Ringside’s boxing analyst, covering world title fights since 2018.