Norman Jr vs Wagner Predictions: Brian keeps on tryin’ post-Haney

Former WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr takes on Canada’s Josh Wagner at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The bout takes place on the undercard of Keyshawn Davis’ homecoming fight against Nahir Albright. DAZN will broadcast the event live.

Read further for my Norman Jr vs Wagner predictions ahead of this welterweight 10-rounder.

Norman Jr vs Wagner Odds

Norman is on the market at 1/18 to prevail in a fight that feels well within his skillset. Wagner is your 10/1 underdog while the draw is marketed at 20/1.

Norman Jr vs Wagner Fight Preview

Norman looks to rebuild here after tasting professional defeat for the first time. He was making the third defence of his WBO welterweight title when he took on Devin Haney last November. ‘The Dream’ was back to his best after a difficult couple of years, knocking Norman down in the second round and fighting in an uncharacteristically attacking manner to take a wide points nod.

Norman must have been shell-shocked by that result. Haney had been knocked down repeatedly by a PED-enhanced Ryan Garcia in a result that was changed to a No Contest when ‘KingRy’ failed a drugs test. Haney’s only outing since that ordeal was a safety-first decision win over past-it former lightweight champion Jose Carlos Ramirez. There is no way Norman or his team could have anticipated the rip-roaring, front-foot Devin that greeted them in Riyadh last winter.

But the best fighters prove they can come back and so Norman looks to add that hard-won string to his bow. This cat is only 25 years old, don’t forget. The Haney beatdown can be an educational experience rather than just a chastening one.

In Wagner, the Georgia native gets a moderate foe. The Canadian made life awkward for Britain’s Harlem Eubank at times in Brighton last November. But the puzzle was still eminently solvable, as Harlem walked out with a whitewash on two scorecards. Wagner was a nuisance more than a danger, though he marked Eubank’s eyes up a little. 

The majority of the action was evocative of Olympic fencing. Feinting and poking jabs by both men, with only Eubank’s precise enough to score. The fans weren’t enamoured with the bout. But unremarkable durability can get you a gig when a promoter is looking to put wind in a boxer’s sagging sails. Wagner is being asked to come here and stand in front of Norman for as long as possible. A job the cautious Canadian will relish.

Wagner’s 10 knockouts from 19 wins do little to inspire fear. The fact he is one of only five men French campaigner David Papot has knocked out in 31 outings inspires even less. The charitable term for what this fight means to Norman is ‘confidence-builder’.

But who can begrudge the 25-year-old former world champ that much? Norman is blowing the cobwebs off deep on an undercard. Put in a good showing and the rest of 2026 looks rosy. Falter and it is somewhat forgivable off the back of the surprisingly destructive Haney loss. The stakes are always high, but this is a gentle reintroduction for the 28-1 American.

Norman Jr vs Wagner Full Card

Keyshawn Davis vs Nahir Albright

Yan Santana vs Cristian Cruz Chacon

Kelvin Davis vs Peter Dobson

Brian Norman Jr vs Josh Wagner

Keon Davis vs Edwine Humaine Junior

Dedrick Crocklem vs Eric Howard

Norman Jr vs Wagner Prediction

If Norman doesn’t win this fight, something has gone very wrong somewhere. Haney is an elite fighter and the beating Brian incurred at his hands is no embarrassment. But anything less than a resounding victory here will be humiliating. Norman to win at 1/18.

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