When it comes to throwing verbal jabs outside the ring, Rolando “Rolly” Romero never pulls his punches. The WBA Regular welterweight champion is as known for his unfiltered takes as he is for his looping hooks. And with an intriguing welterweight matchup brewing between Devin Haney and the hard-hitting Brian Norman Jr. that could change the welterweight landscape, Romero has—true to form—found a way to inject his unique brand of commentary into the conversation.

The clash in question, set for November 22 in Riyadh on the Ring IV card, pits two undefeated Americans with wildly different styles. Haney, the former undisputed lightweight champion, will battle it out with the WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr in his debut at 147 lbs after being heavily criticized for his last win over Jose Ramirez on May 2 in New York. The fight, panned by many as a result of Haney’s excessive defensive approach and lateral movement, forced His Excellency Turki Alalshikh to explicitly state his dislike for what he referred to as “Tom and Jerry fights.” He even warned fighters of being removed from his Riyadh Season card if they fail to meet this diktat.

This must be the reason why Devin Haney is being pitted against a fighter like Norman Jr., who is coming off three knockout wins in his last three fights. But still, for many, concerns persist about Devin Haney’s overtly defensive fighting style. One of whom is Rolly Romero. The 29-year-old spoke to Boxing News with that trademark smirk and dropped a comedic grenade: “Can we put ankle weights on both of them? & it’s not because of Brian. Ankle weights are for Devin. Brian is going to come to fight! Brian Norman is a tremendous fighter, big puncher…& I hope he shocks the world.” The Las Vegas-based fighter didn’t mince words, targeting Haney’s evasive tactics and contrasting them with Norman’s aggression.

It’s not the first time ‘The Dream’ has been labeled a ring runner by Rolly. He even previously referred to Haney as a “track star” in May. Regardless, the 26-year-old is looking to put those criticisms to bed with his Norman fight. This must be partly why he is already pushing on the 24-year-old champion. What began as playful trash talk from the sidelines has now snowballed into physical drama between the actual headliners.

Brian Norman Jr. says altercation with Devin Haney’s team “set in stone” a knockout finish

The incident unfolded during what was supposed to be a routine face-off with Devin Haney at a hotel near Times Square, ahead of their November 22 welterweight title fight in Riyadh. But tensions flared after Norman placed a finger on Haney’s chest, prompting a reaction not just from the former lightweight king, but also from an overzealous bodyguard who took matters a bit too far.

What was meant to be standard promotional hype turned into a mini-wrestling match when Haney’s security intervened, ripping Norman’s shirt and dragging the WBO champ to the ground. “I was just vibing and chilling,” Norman told The Ring. “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.” Despite the chaos, Norman wasn’t hurt—and even brushed off the moment with a smile, calling himself “a casualty in the midst” of someone else’s nervous energy.

The defending champ from Georgia believes Haney’s camp might be feeling the pressure. “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,” Norman added. The confrontation, he says, didn’t escalate his motivation—it simply confirmed what he already felt was coming. “It was already gonna be what it was…So, this just set it in stone. But it was already gonna be a knockout.” Brian Norman Jr. doesn’t seem rattled by the physical scuffle. But he does seem convinced that it confirmed what was already inevitable in his mind: a knockout. What do you think?