WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr will defend his belt in Japan on Thursday, this in a struggle with a presumably harmful Jin Sasaki, 19-1-1(17). Norman, unbeaten at 27-0(21), is the favorite to win although he’s preventing away from house and, in Sasaki, he’s dealing with a fighter who actually has nothing to lose, therefore his potential hazard.
However talking about what may come for him sooner or later, Norman stated he would positively prefer to return to Japan to struggle once more (this after all assuming he wins on Thursday), and that he’s additionally up for going to the Philippines to struggle Manny Pacquiao, ought to Pac-Man trigger the feeling and defeat Mario Barrios subsequent month.
“Barely humorous” Ennis move-up jab steals the headlines
However one different fighter’s title inevitably got here up: that of Jaron “Boots” Ennis. Norman, who was not too long ago accused by Ennis’s promoter Eddie Hearn of operating from a giant unification struggle with Boots, spoke with Combat Hype, and he stated it’s “barely humorous” that Ennis has now introduced his transfer as much as 154 kilos, this after Hearn had demanded that if the 2 have been to struggle, Norman must signal the contract earlier than his struggle with Sasaki.
“I want him one of the best at 154,” Norman stated of Boots. “I hope he continues to be nice, doing his factor. However concerning a missed alternative factor [with him now moving up and leaving the fight behind], I don’t see it as a missed alternative. Ultimately, I’m fairly positive I’ll transfer as much as 154 and begin making noises up there as properly. If he hold doing his factor we are able to nonetheless make that struggle occur. However I’d say that I do assume it’s barely humorous that Eddie Hearn publicly stated we are able to make a struggle after this struggle [with Sasaki] however we are able to solely signal a contract earlier than this struggle is completed. So, if I’m not mistaken which means we was gonna struggle after this one. Why you must make an announcement about shifting up on my struggle week?”
Duck narrative dismissed—Norman stands his floor
“Eddie Hearn was attempting to place out the narrative that I’m a duck,” Norman stated. “He was pushing that propaganda. But when I had signed the contract? Who is aware of.”
Transferring on, possibly Norman and Ennis will ultimately struggle in the future, this at 154 kilos. However for now, Norman has Sasaki to take care of, whereas we await Boots’s ’54 debut.
