Legendary promoter Bob Arum has shared his thoughts on the upcoming clash between Brian Norman Jr and Devin Haney.
Reigning WBO welterweight champion Norman is set to make the third defence of his crown against countryman Haney on Saturday November 22 at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Norman has emerged as one of the best welterweights on the planet over the past 18 months, racking up 22 stoppage victories in 28 bouts since making his professional debut back in January of 2018.
Former undisputed lightweight champion Haney is gearing up to make his first ring appearance since May when he defeated former unified super-lightweight champion Jose Ramirez in what was an underwhelming 12-round performance.
One man who knows both fighters extremely well is Hall of Fame inductee Arum, who currently promotes Norman and has also worked with Haney in the past.
In an interview with Sean Zittel, Top Rank CEO and founder Arum didn’t hesitate to back Norman to get the job done against Haney in emphatic fashion, as he claims the unbeaten 24-year-old will ‘knock out’ his domestic rival.
“That’s why we took the fight, because we think Norman will knock out Haney. Devin is a very good fighter, but we think Brian is a better one. So, it’ll be determined in November in the ring, but we like our chances with Brian. Haney is an excellent fighter. So, it should be an interesting fight.”
Norman will have his sights set on producing yet another highlight reel knockout, five months on from his most recent ring appearance which saw him stop Japan’s Jin Sasaki in the fifth round of their bout in Tokyo which left the challenger requiring immediate medical attention.
