Devin Haney has received the top rating from the WBO ahead of his November 22 bout against welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jnr.
It’s not that Haney needed the mandatory position in order to make the fight; it was already official. But Norman-Haney will now count as a mandatory defense of the WBO belt.
Haney, a 26-year-old who lives in Las Vegas, had previously entered the WBO’s welterweight ratings in July at No. 2. He was elevated to No. 1 in the sanctioning body’s latest ratings update, which was released August 21 and reflects results through August 15.
Haney supplanted Alexis Rocha, who had been in the No. 1 spot since February. Rocha, 25-2-1 (16 KOs), is now at No. 2.
Haney, 32-0 (15 KOs), is a former undisputed lightweight champion and also held the WBC belt at 140lbs. In April 2024, he was dropped three times en route to a majority decision loss to Ryan Garcia. That result was subsequently overturned when Garcia tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Haney spent a year away and returned this past May in a show in New York City’s Times Square that was designed to set up a rematch with Garcia. Haney won a much-derided unanimous decision over Jose Ramirez in which he focused more on moving his feet than his hands. Garcia, however, lost a decision to Rolando “Rolly” Romero.
Haney-Ramirez was contested at a catchweight of 144lbs; Haney weighed in at 143.
This fight with Norman will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a stacked card headlined by David Benavidez-Anthony Yarde.
Norman, 28-0 (22 KOs), is a 24-year-old from Conyers, Georgia. He will be making the third defense as the primary WBO titleholder.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
