LAS VEGAS – Jin Sasaki traveled across the globe with the intention to campaign for his first major title opportunity.
As luck would have it, his next stated target is completely on board with that idea.
Brian Norman Jr. openly embraced the challenge issued by Tokyo’s Sasaki, 19-1-1 (13 KOs), who was on hand for the former’s third-round knockout of Derrieck Cuevas, 27-2-1 (19 KOs). The March 29 ESPN co-feature saw Norman, 27-0 (21 KOs) take out Puerto Rico’s Cuevas in emphatic style at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The brief affair left the unbeaten WBO welterweight titlist eager to return to the ring as soon as possible. Even more positive in terms of making this fight happen, Norman expressed an interest in fighting abroad if the marketplace called for it.
That kind of timeline was music to the ears of his top-ranked challenger.
“I would love to fight Brian Norman next,” Sasaki told BoxingScene. “I think [IBF titlist Jaron ‘Boots] Ennis and Norman are the strongest of the four welterweight world champions.
“If I can beat Norman, I can confidently say I'm the real world welterweight champion. He's just that good of a fighter. I'm also glad he said he wants to come to Japan.”
Norman made the first successful defense of his upgraded title reign with the win over Cuevas. It was his first ring appearance since a scintillating tenth-round knockout of Giovanni Santillan in their May 18 interim WBO title fight between unbeaten welterweights in San Diego, California.
A hand injury requiring surgery delayed his plans to face Cuevas, as the bout was due to take place last November 8. There were not any signs of ring rust or issues with the prior wound, as Norman shook off a briefly tense moment in the opening round to dominate the fight.
“I guess Norman was watching his opponent's movements in the beginning,” observed Sasaki, who is unbeaten in his last nine starts. “From the second half of the second round, he started to get the pace and land punches, then knocking him out in the third round.
“I thought it was a great performance, and he is a great fighter as I expected.”
From there, it was onto new business for the defending titlist.
The true hope is to move towards undisputed championship status. That would require bouts with either WBC titleholder Mario Barrios, 29-2-1 (18 KOs) or the winner of Saturday’s IBF/WBA unification bout between Philadelphia’s Ennis, 33-0 (29 KOs) and Lithuania’s Eimantas Stanionis, 15-0 (9 KOs) in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Given his warm exchange with Sasaki after the fight, a mandatory title defense seemed like the more reasonable next step.
Sasaki is 8-0-1 (7 KOs) since an October 2021 eleventh-round stoppage to countryman Andy Hiraoka at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. He earned seven stoppages in as many wins before he outpointed Shoki Sakai over twelve rounds on January 25 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
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