Devin Haney’s climb back to the top of the sport reached a third weight class at “The Ring IV: Night of Champions,” where he outpointed Brian Norman Jr to take the WBO welterweight title in his full 147lb debut. It capped a rebuild that began after the low point of his career and confirmed Haney is once again one of the sport’s most complete operators.
A Composed, Controlling Performance
Haney dropped Norman in the second round with a well-timed counter as the champion overcommitted, and the fight never really got away from him after that. Norman adjusted and toned down his usual aggression following the knockdown, but Haney controlled pace and distance for the rest of the fight, doing enough to leave no doubt on the cards without needing to take unnecessary risks against a genuinely dangerous puncher.
Wide Scorecards, No Real Debate
The judges scored it 114-113, 116-111 and 117-110, all in Haney’s favour, with the wider cards reflecting how comfortably he’d managed the challenge for long stretches. Haney improves to 33-0, while Norman drops to 28-1, his first loss after building a reputation as one of the division’s most avoided punchers.
Three Divisions, One Message
Haney used the moment to frame his own comeback narrative rather than dwell on the technical details. “In 2024, I lost everything,” he said afterwards. “In 2025, I came to get it back. In 2026, I’m coming for everything.” It’s a pointed way of drawing a line under the previous chapter of his career and putting the rest of the division on notice.
Unification Talk and a Possible Garcia Rematch
Becoming a three-division champion opens the door to unification fights at welterweight through 2026, and Haney’s name has already been linked with a rematch against Ryan Garcia should Garcia land the WBC title. Given the history between the two, and how much has changed for Haney since their first meeting, it’s a fight the sport would have little trouble selling.