Brian Norman Jr.’s Shameful WBO Title Defense Against Unworthy Jin Sasaki

WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. is unconcerned with the threat #2-ranked Jin Sasaki poses for him this Thursday, June 19th, in their 12-round headliner at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

(Credit: Naoki Fukuda)

Norman Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) has studied the “habits” of Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs), and says there’s nothing he can do in this fight that will surprise him. It’s not surprising that Norman Jr. is so confident because Sasaki, 23, is more of a novice than a true contender.

Sasaki: An Unworthy Opponent

The World Boxing Organization gave him a #2 ranking, but his entire resume is filled with lower-level fighters. Sasaki really shouldn’t be anywhere near the top tier or even top 50. His resume is horrendous.

The Norman Jr. vs. Sasaki event will be streamed live on ESPN+ on Thursday, June 19th, at 7:15 A.M. ET/4:15 P.M. PT. It would be interesting to know what Norman’s promoters at Top Rank think about his choice of Sasaki as his opponent.

They can’t be too happy about this fight, because it’s an obscure fighter, and the time of the event means many fans won’t see it. It’s a waste for Norman Jr’s career as well as Top Rank, because his popularity won’t grow from this fight. It won’t be seen. Sasaki would be a good opponent for one of the lower-ranked contenders at 147, like Karen Chukhadzhian.

I don’t think he would stand a chance against Chukhadzhian, but that’s the type of fighter he should be facing to try and earn his stripes.

Why Fans Ignore Norman-Sasaki

This is the kind of fight that would be overlooked even if it were shown on Saturday night at its regular time slot. Fans haven’t been talking about this fight because iit’s one that isn’t appealing. It’s a mismatch.

Top Rank needs to guide Norman Jr. against more notable fighters in the future so he can build his name/ Defending againt the likes of Sasaki is a bad look.

“I know Sasaki’s habits, techniques, and anything he wants to do,” said Norman. “There’s nothing he can do to surprise me besides grow a third arm. I’m expecting him to fight harder than he ever has before because of the magnitude of this fight, but the end result will still be the same. I came with my belt and I’m leaving with my belt.”

Sasaki’s Last Six Opponents

– Shoki Sakai
– Qamil Balla
– Joe Noynay
– Hiroto Hoshi
– Keita Obara
– Ryota Toyoshima

Milking the WBO Welterweight Title

Who among those fighters was good enough for the WBO to give Sasaki a #2 ranking? That’s what I want to know. As far as I can tell, those bottom 100-level welterweights. It’s fine that Sasaki beat them, but how does this translate to the high ranking he’s been given?

Norman Jr. looks like his intent is to milk his WBO title for as long as possible. That’s the wrong kind of champion. If he’s going to fight guys like Sasaki, one of the talented 140-lb contenders needs to move up to 147 and dethrone him pronto.