Once again, boxing spits in the face of its fans. Brian Norman Jr. defends his WBO welterweight title against Jin Sasaki on Thursday, June 19, live on ESPN+ — but good luck catching it live. The start times? The main event starts at 7:15 a.m. ET / 4:15 a.m. PT / 12:15 p.m. UK, smack in the middle of work, school, and reality.
This is how you kill momentum. Norman’s an undefeated American champion with real talent, but instead of building him into a star, they’ve buried him in a Tokyo timeslot and dumped the card on ESPN+ with no real promo, no primetime slot, and zero respect — it’s not like anyone’s got jobs, school, or lives. Grab a coffee and watch a title fight before your alarm even goes off, right?
What a joke.
“There’s nothing he can do to surprise me besides grow a third arm”
Norman’s ready. He’s been in Japan for weeks. And he clearly doesn’t give a damn about all the time zone chaos around this card — but guess who does? Literally every real boxing fan outside of Tokyo.
“I know Sasaki’s habits, techniques and anything he wants to do,” Norman said. “There’s nothing he can do to surprise me besides grow a third arm.”
He’s confident. But his fan base? They’re being forced to decide whether to skip work or miss the fight.
Norman added, “I don’t care where I fight or who I fight, the fans always motivate me to go 10 times harder. Then why are those same fans being treated like an afterthought?
“You don’t have to change how you walk just because you’re in another country”
That line right there — from Norman himself — tells you everything about how he adapted. But the question is: why is ESPN and the WBO making fans crawl through this mess? The fighter adjusts like a pro. The promoters? They couldn’t care less.
Boxing is a global sport. But global doesn’t mean “bury the event in a blackout slot for half the planet.” You want American and UK boxing fans to care? Stop airing world title fights when people are brushing their damn teeth and packing school lunches.
And don’t start with the “world champion” talk if the only ones actually watching live are the Tokyo arena ushers and a handful of sleep-deprived gamblers on the East Coast.
“I came with my belt and I’m leaving with my belt”
That’s Norman’s message heading into this fight. He’s ready to travel and destroy. But boxing’s powers-that-be just made sure most of the world won’t even see it live.
You know what separates the good from the great? Not just fighters — promotions that know when the hell to start a card.
ESPN+ wants your money, but they don’t care if you’re unconscious when the fight airs. The WBO hands out belts, but they can’t schedule a global title defense without flipping off half the fans.
Fans deserve better than this. Norman deserves better. Even Sasaki deserves a fight with a global audience that’s actually awake.
But no — this is boxing. And boxing never misses a chance to screw itself.
Norman Jr vs Sasaki solid fight card
- Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki; for Norman’s WBO welterweight title
- Cristian Araneta vs. Thanongsak Simsri; for the vacant IBF junior flyweight title
- Sora Tanaka vs. Takeru Kobata; welterweight
- Yuya Oku vs. Reiya Abe; featherweight
- Ren Ohashi vs. Guangheng Luan; featherweight
- Yuito Moriwaki vs. Ha So Baek; super middleweight