Devin Haney Confronts “Gunshy” Tag Ahead Of Brian Norman Jr. Welterweight Title Bout

Devin Haney says critics were going to trash him no matter how he performed in his last fight against Jose Ramirez on the Times Square card last May. Haney (32-0, 15 KOs), people weren’t going to find something to criticize him about how he fought.

Ramirez Fight: “Gunshy” Haney?

Haney threw almost no punches in the fight, and neither did Ramirez. He didn’t have to move as much as he did, but seemed concerned about being caught.

Fans noted that the former two-division world champion Haney appeared ‘gunshy’ coming off a year layoff, and a beat down against Ryan Garcia. They attribute his reluctance to throw punches as a sign of mental damage.

He’d been dropped three times by Kingry in their fight last year in April, and put down three additional times that the referee didn’t count. It was a fight that many fans felt should have been stopped.

Norman Jr. Fight Awaits

Haney will be facing the biggest puncher in the welterweight division, WBO champion Brian Norman Jr., on November 22nd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It’s a fight that Devin cannot afford to be hesitant to throw because if he doesn’t let his hands go, Norman Jr. will talk him down to score a knockout.

“They’re going to say something regardless,” said Devin Haney to Ring Magazine on X, reacting to being told that fans believe he was ‘Gunshy’ in his fight against Jose Ramirez last May. “If I went in there and got hit with a bunch of left hooks, they’re going to say, ‘He didn’t learn nothing. He’s getting hit with the same punch.’”

It’s troubling that Haney can’t openly admit that he was worried about being clipped, and lacked the confidence in his chin to be able to take the shots from the 33-year-old Jose Ramirez.

“If I went in there and got hit with all right hands, they’re going to say, ‘Now, he’s a sucker for right hands.’ So, they’re going to say something regardless. They make up stuff to say,” said Haney.

Haney Eyes Third Title

“I want to be the best me. On November 22nd, I want to be the best Devin Haney possible. I want to go in there and become a three-division champion and get another victory,” said Devin.