Boxing, in 2025, feels like it has two distinctly different breeds of warriors. On one end, there’s the old-school purist who thrives on grit, violence, and legacy. On the other hand, there’s the flash-driven fighter, perfectly tailored for social media timelines, whose bravado stretches as far as their designer fits, and they play the role of the heel all too well while managing to take home the wins with the help of their smarts. Few matchups embody this divide quite like the November 22 showdown in Riyadh, where unbeaten WBO welterweight titleholder Brian Norman Jr. will defend his title against former undisputed lightweight king Devin Haney. And while the gloves haven’t even touched, the verbal shots are already landing.

Norman Jr., the 24-year-old Georgian powerhouse, recently zeroed in on what he believes fuels the Haney camp more than titles: optics. Speaking to The Ring, he didn’t mince words, firing, “It’s a lot of people who care about fashion more than they care about fighting. They care about, ‘He said he ain’t got no money.’ What [do] you care about his money for? We’re here to fight.” This was in response to Bill Haney’s tirade yesterday about Brian Norman Jr signing up for VADA testing, rather not signing up for it yet. It began when Devin Haney’s father fired off the first salvo.

“We offered to start VADA testing today and even pay for it. Brian Norman Jr. wants to wait until August 1st. If you’ve got nothing to hide, you’ve got nothing to delay. Let’s test now,” Bill Haney declared. Norman Jr.’s camp countered, citing travel and scheduling conflicts, insisting testing will begin once he returns stateside later this month. However, Haney Sr. saw this as an attempt to avoid random drug testing. Bill Haney lashed out, “You leaving the country don’t stop no drug test, champ. VADA go everywhere. You know that. We offered to start today and even pay for it. But now you talking about August and vacations?”

The dual tensions—first over perception, now over procedure—have transformed this bout into more than just a fight. Only last week the two were ready to trade fists in the lobby.

Brian Norman Jr. says Devin Haney’s altercation “sealed” his plans for a knockout finish

The quiet streets near Times Square turned chaotic when a routine face-off between Brian Norman Jr. and Devin Haney spiraled into a messy brawl. Ahead of their November 22 clash in Riyadh, the tension was supposed to simmer in front of cameras for the sake of promotion. Instead, it boiled over when the 24-year-old from Georgia lightly placed a finger on Haney’s chest—an action that drew not just a scowl from the polished challenger, but an aggressive reaction from one of Haney’s bodyguards.

What followed felt more WWE than WBC. Haney’s security bulldozed their way into the fray, grabbing the champion, tearing his white tee, and dragging him down like a suspect in a street brawl. Norman, speaking with The Ring, recounted with a calm chuckle, “I was just vibing and chilling. You know how life go. But the bodyguard came up, acting all funny or whatever, so he ripped my little white tee. You never rip a Black man white tee…I had flipped big dude after that.” Though the melee looked ugly on camera, Norman walked away without a scratch, laughing off the moment as nothing more than a sideshow, calling himself “a casualty in the midst” of someone else’s nerves.

Still, the Conyers-born champion believes the scene revealed something deeper about the Haney camp. “We just good people, come in, shake hands and show teeth… I think they might be a little nervous. I don’t know what it is,” he said, hinting that the scuffle exposed a crack in Haney’s usually polished demeanor. To Norman, the skirmish didn’t light any new fire; it simply confirmed the outcome he already envisioned. “It was already gonna be what it was…So, this just set it in stone. But it was already gonna be a knockout.”

With his unbeaten record and 22 knockouts in 28 fights, Norman Jr. isn’t hiding his intentions. Whether Devin Haney’s slick defense can outlast that power—or whether the Times Square tussle was a preview of the chaos to come—will only be answered under the bright lights in Riyadh.