WBO welterweight champ Brian Norman Jr, who fights in a matter of hours, this in Japan against determined and possibly dangerous challenger Jin Sasaki, has told The Ring what his “real deal” fight is – the fight he really wants to have the most. And it’s not a fight with Boots Ennis (soon to make the move up to 154 pounds) or any of the other reigning champions at 147 pounds. No, it’s a fight with Manny Pacquiao that Norman really wants.
Norman Jr. Wants Pacquiao Fight
Norman, who has to get past Sasaki without any hiccups, says that he wants to get his hands on that green belt. And if he did fight Pac-Man, Norman says, he would “do him like he did Oscar De La Hoya.”
Norman, currently perfect at 27-0(21), is, of course, looking back at the awful night for De La Hoya, who, at the very end of his career, attempted to fight a dynamic Pac-Man who was approaching his prime and was super-fast and power-packed. De La Hoya took a nasty beating, and he was stopped for just the second time in his career.
Now, “respectfully,” he says, Norman would have to do a similarly one-sided job on Pacquiao should he fight him.
“Actually, that’s the real deal, the main fight I want simply because of that WBC belt,” Norman told The Ring. “And if Pacquiao wins it (by beating Mario Barrios next month), that makes it even better because that’s a legend in the game. That WBC belt is actually my main goal. He’s 46 years old, but I know for a fact it’s very, very hard to sleep that competitive nature in you. Just a few years ago, he beat the man, ‘One Time’ Keith Thurman. So I’m pretty sure he’s like, ‘I know I’ve got at least a little bit more left.’ I understand where he’s coming from, but if I get that opportunity, respectfully, I gotta do him like he did Oscar De La Hoya.”
Norman Jr. Aims for WBC Belt
But who on earth wants to see a younger man beat up on an ageing, former champ who hasn’t got it anymore? In fact, Pacquiao could suffer this kind of a beatdown in the Barrios fight. If, however, the Filipino legend does manage to dethrone Barrios, there will be plenty of people lining up to try and fight him and take that WBC title.
For now, let’s see how Norman gets on with the nothing-to-lose Sasaki, 19-1-1(17). We have seen many times what can happen when a favoured fighter takes his eye off the ball by looking too far ahead to future fights. Could Norman be the next victim?