Norman v. Haney is the most interesting fight remaining in 2025

The co-main event of the Nov. 22 card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, could easily be a headliner to a show. WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. (28-0, 22KOs, 2NCs) will defend his title a third time, but it comes against the top rival of his young career: Devin Haney (32-0, 1 NC), the former undisputed lightweight champion whose career is at a crossroads.

Norman, from Decatur, Georgia, and turning 25 the day after the fight, and Haney, age 26, from San Francisco, aren’t too friendly toward each other. The challenger shoved the champion at a press conference, and Haney’s bodyguard grabbed Norman in a hallway.

Norman is a hot name on top of holding a belt because he razed Jin Sasaki in Tokyo on June 25 with a left hook in round five. Potentially the knockout of the year, combined with a 78.6% KO ratio, he is the slight favorite on the sportsbooks (DraftKings, Caesars) and is a dangerous rival for Haney.

The toughest challenge on fight night, according to Norman, will be Bill, the trainer and father of his opponent. He senses vulnerability from Haney because he hasn’t been himself in the ring since getting beat up by Ryan Garcia, who had an unfair advantage in April 2024. It was initially ruled a unanimous decision win for Garcia, but later a No Contest. Haney’s defense was subpar, starting with catching a left hook early in round one that impaired him, then never recovering from a round-seven knockdown. He was still hurt when Garcia put him on the canvas twice more.

The drama that followed damaged both men. Garcia, also three pounds over on the scale at the weigh-in, later had his integrity questioned because of the banned substance in his system, was used as a political pawn, and he spiraled into racist and callous remarks towards others online. He later said he was getting help for his mental health.

Haney pursued legal action for battery against Garcia for an unspecified amount of money, but fans and people around the boxing world questioned his heart, such as Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promotions was also sued), Oscar Duarte and Tim Bradley, to name a few. He was gun-shy in his return: a boring victory over José Ramirez (29-3, 18KOs), more than a year after the clash with Garcia.  He wasn’t close to being the guy who relatively recently won a thrilling, unanimous decision against Vasiliy Lomachenko and outclassed Regis Prograis.

No one outside Haney’s inner circle knows what he is, but respect is deserved for taking on the tough challenges. He has no choice but to fight to the level of his competition or what he used to be, or else he’ll get smoked, potentially sent to the hospital. At his best, he could maneuver around peril with good footwork and punish others with one of the top jabs in all of boxing, plus quick counter punches. Only that version of himself makes it a close fight against Norman.

Hamzah Sheeraz wants the top names at 168 pounds:

Hamzah Sheeraz doesn’t think Saul “Canelo”  Álvarez is finished, but he’s looking elsewhere for a super middleweight (168 pounds) fade as the former Mexican champion recovers from elbow surgery. Unsure of who is next, he told The Ring in an interview that “whatever name they put in front of me, I’m going to sign…” yet doesn’t sound interested in fighting Callum Simpson because he’s not a big enough name.

The division has worthy matchups, such as Christian Mbilli, Jaime Munguia, Diego Pacheco, Jose Armando Resendiz and Caleb Plant. It’s uncertain what undisputed champion Terance Crawford’s next move is, and as stylistically enticing as a defense against Sheeraz- a 6-foot-3, 75’’ reach specimen- would be, it probably isn’t worth the risk to the champ, considering he can still chase history by taking over another division.

Sheeraz wasn’t stellar in his eighth and last fight at middleweight (160 pounds) against Carlos Adames- a draw for the WBC title that left many unsatisfied. But he’s a different man at super middleweight, judging by how he brutally erased Edgar Berlanga and wounded his pride.

The Englishman says this is only the start and the plan is to make a February return. Hopefully, nothing holds that up from happening with one of the top guys.