TOP RANK has confirmed that WBO world welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr is gearing up to face Jin Sasaki, while a potential showdown with Jaron Ennis hangs in the balance.
Talks of Norman’s assignment on June 19 had been circulating for quite some time, but only now has his promoter delivered an official announcement.
In any case, their clash will headline a card at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, with Sasaki – the WBO’s number-two ranked contender – claiming a home advantage.
But while his upcoming title defence represents a solid matchup, Norman, 27-0 (21 KOs), has, in turn, further removed himself from a more appealing clash with unified champion Ennis, 34-0 (30 KOs).
The 24-year-old comes off a third-round stoppage victory over Derrieck Cuevas, producing a stunning finish last March to retain his WBO crown.
Soon after, Ennis unified the WBA and IBF titles with an equally emphatic six-round demolition job against Eimantas Stanionis, becoming the widely acclaimed top dog at 147lbs.
Since then, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes ‘Boots’, has revealed that a lucrative offer was made to Norman and his team.
‘The Assassin II’ confirmed that much to be true in an interview with FightHype while, at the same time, condemning Hearn for making negotiations public.
Either way, Norman doubled down on his stance that any conversations regarding Ennis would need to wait until he gets past Sasaki.
In the meantime, though, Ennis appears to be in talks with WBO world super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, who has expressed his interest in moving up to welterweight.
