WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr will defend his belt in Japan on Thursday, this in a fight with a possibly dangerous Jin Sasaki, 19-1-1(17). Norman, unbeaten at 27-0(21), is the favourite to win even though he is fighting away from home and, in Sasaki, he is facing a fighter who really has nothing to lose, hence his potential danger.
But speaking about what could come for him in the future, Norman said he would definitely like to return to Japan to fight again (this of course assuming he wins on Thursday), and that he is also up for going to the Philippines to fight Manny Pacquiao, should Pac-Man cause the sensation and defeat Mario Barrios next month.
“Slightly funny” Ennis move-up jab steals the headlines
But one other fighter’s name inevitably came up: that of Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Norman, who was recently accused by Ennis’s promoter Eddie Hearn of running from a big unification fight with Boots, spoke with Fight Hype, and he said it’s “slightly funny” that Ennis has now announced his move up to 154 pounds, this after Hearn had demanded that if the two were to fight, Norman would have to sign the contract before his fight with Sasaki.
“I wish him the best at 154,” Norman said of Boots. “I hope he continues to be great, doing his thing. But regarding a missed opportunity thing [with him now moving up and leaving the fight behind], I don’t see it as a missed opportunity. Eventually, I’m pretty sure I’ll move up to 154 and start making noises up there as well. If he keep doing his thing we can still make that fight happen. But I would say that I do think it’s slightly funny that Eddie Hearn publicly said we can make a fight after this fight [with Sasaki] but we can only sign a contract before this fight is done. So, if I’m not mistaken that means we was gonna fight after this one. Why you have to make an announcement about moving up on my fight week?”
Duck narrative dismissed—Norman stands his ground
“Eddie Hearn was trying to put out the narrative that I’m a duck,” Norman said. “He was pushing that propaganda. But if I had signed the contract? Who knows.”
Moving on, maybe Norman and Ennis will eventually fight one day, this at 154 pounds. But for now, Norman has Sasaki to deal with, while we await Boots’s ’54 debut.
