WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. will defend his crown against Japanese contender Jin Sasaki in a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN main event Thursday at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Norman (27-0, 21 KOs), the youngest men’s world champion in boxing, will make his second title defense. The 24-year-old Decatur, Georgia, native earned a third-round TKO over Derrieck Cuevas on March 29 to retain the belt. Norman grabbed the WBO interim title when he upset Giovani Santillan in May 2024.
Norman, ESPN’s second-ranked welterweight behind Jaron Ennis, lost the interim tag after Terence Crawford moved up to the junior middleweight division.
Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs), who is unbeaten in nine fights since moving up to welterweight, will enter the ring for the first time since defeating Shoki Sakai via unanimous decision in January. The 23-year-old Sasaki, ESPN’s seventh-ranked welterweight, went the distance (12 rounds) for the first time in his career in the win.
Cristian Araneta (25-2, 20 KOs) and Thanongsak Simsri (38-1, 34 KOs) will face off for the vacant IBF junior flyweight title in the co-feature.
Also on the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Notman Jr. vs. Sasaki fight card:
Sora Tanaka (3-0, 3 KOs) takes on southpaw Takeru Kobata (14-7-1, 6 KOs) for the vacant OPBF title in a clash of welterweights scheduled for 12 rounds.
Where can I watch the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN: Norman Jr. vs. Sasaki fight card?
The main card is scheduled to begin Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and Disney+.
Fans can catch all the action in the Top Rank Boxing streaming hub.
How can fans access more boxing content from ESPN?
Check out the ESPN boxing hub page for the latest news, features, schedules, rankings and more.
Source: espn.com