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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
WBO welterweight champion leaves rival unconscious with brutal ‘KO of the year' contender
BRIAN NORMAN JR scored one of the knockouts of the year during a championship fight. The 24-year-old was fighting to retain his WBO welterweight title against Jin Sasaki in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday. Advertisement 3 Brian Norman Jr landed the knockout of the year in a WBO welterweight title fight against Jin Sasaki Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing 3 The American scored a left hook right in his opponents face Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing 3 It left Sasaki flattened on the canvas for over a minute Credit: X formerly Twitter / @trboxing And during round five, The Assassin II landed a brutal left hook squarely on his opponent's face as he left his guard down. Norman Jr had managed to knock down his Japanese rival twice in the opening stages. However, his round five hit saw Sasaki left flattened on the canvas. Medical staff rushed into the ring to treat the 23-year-old as he was laid out for over a minute. Advertisement READ MORE IN BOXING He was then placed on a stretcher and rushed to hospital. A status update on him was not provided in the immediate aftermath of contest. Reacting to the punch on social media, one boxing fan said: "Ko of the year." A second said: "This has to be ko of the year so far right?" A third added: "Man…that is CLEAN." Advertisement Most read in Boxing BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Another said: "Perfect KO punch." The win saw Norman Jr improve to 28-0 with this being his 22nd knockout. Rare footage re-emerges of 19-year-old Tyson Fury brutally knocking out rival and leaving him in crumpled heap Norman Jr became the interim WBO welterweight champion after beating Giovani Santillan last May. Advertisement He was then elevated to full champion status when Derrieck Cuevas challenged for the belt in March of this year but was also defeated by Norman Jr via TKO. Meanwhile, Sasaki - a relatively unknown quantity going into the bout - fell to 19-2-1, having previously been stopped in 2021 by Andy Hiraoka in a Japanese superlightweight title fight. Norman Jr now has his eyes set on unification bouts for the division. Advertisement An all-American fight with IBF and WBA champion Jaron Ennis had been on the cards until Ennis declared his intention to move up to 154lbs. Speaking about a potential clash with Ennis, Norman Jr had said: "About the future, I wish I had a certain fight coming up, but they heard there was a storm coming." "And you all know what happens when a storm is coming, you grab your boots and run. "We shall see what is next for me. Hopefully October or November, we can get something, but we shall see." Advertisement
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'The new face of boxing': Brian Norman Jr. hell-bent on becoming more than just welterweight king
Brian Norman Jr. is the new ruler in town with a point still to prove. With reports suggesting Jaron "Boots" Ennis is vacating the IBF and WBA welterweight world championships to move to super welterweight, Norman is set to become the de facto No. 1 at 147 pounds. It's a familiar feeling for the 24-year-old — he never got to win his WBO world title in the ring, and now Ennis' welterweight exit could elevate him to the best in the division without a fight too. Advertisement The manner in which Norman has won his recent bouts, though, ensured that he long felt like the king of the weight class, regardless. And so he won't even entertain any arguments that he's not a real champion in a division that has produced modern-day greats from Felix Trinidad to Floyd Mayweather Jr. 'We all knew Terence Crawford was not going to fight at 147 ever again after he beat Errol Spence,' Norman told Uncrowned ahead of his return to the ring Thursday against 23-year-old contender Jin Sasaki in Tokyo, Japan. It's a bold move for Norman as he travels the farthest he ever has for a fight, to defend his strap against one of Japan's best boxers in the heart of enemy territory. 'It wasn't like I even had the opportunity to fight Crawford,' Norman said. 'I did beat the champion, necessarily speaking, as Giovani Santillan was the No. 1 [welterweight]. And it was in his hometown. I wasn't even supposed to win that fight. And we've seen what happened.' What Norman showed us in that May 2024 showcase was a blood-and-guts thrashing ahead of a fight-finishing 10th-round uppercut in a statement win. Though Norman had been grinding for years, the result — and performance — created an overnight sensation in boxing. 'It was a highlight knockout that got everybody buzzing. I had all his blood on me,' he said. 'It looked very spectacular. Advertisement 'And if that wasn't enough — a champion is not a real champion until they defend their belt.' Norman did just that against Derrieck Cuevas in March. 'Another spectacular knockout,' he said of his thumping, third-round knockout win that beat the spirit out of the Puerto Rican. 'I absolutely do feel like a champion.' Norman puts his WBO welterweight world title on the line once again atop an Ohashi Promotions event Thursday at the Ota-City General Gymnasium. And, though he respects his opponent's skill level, Norman expects Sasaki to fall like so many others he's fought. 'Nobody can stand up to my power,' he said. Advertisement Norman feels victory over Sasaki is a foregone conclusion as he'll 'continue catching bodies and making a name for myself' not just at welterweight, but in boxing. He envisions becoming a household name — an athlete synonymous with their sport, like Simone Biles in gymnastics, Shohei Ohtani in baseball, or Rory McIlroy in golf. 'I'm finna be the new face of boxing,' he said. 'The new 'that guy.' Like, when you think about basketball and you think of Michael Jordan — for this generation, that's exactly what I'm about to be. The king of it all.' All kings need adversaries, though. Every great fighter needs the opponents, and rivalries, that bring out the greatness in them. They need those star-making performances from the grandest of stages. And so an all-American showdown against Ennis would have been ideal. Ennis, a thunderous puncher, was considered a boogieman at the weight class until, of course, Norman came along and a new boogieman was born. Advertisement Yet while Ennis would be the legacy fight for Norman, there still remains another star-making fight at 147 pounds — a unification against the winner of July 19's controversial blockbuster between the established champion Mario Barrios and the returning legend Manny Pacquiao. It's a fight Norman covets because the WBC title is on the line, and he's always dreamed of winning the green and gold belt so he can join the pantheon of greats who have worn it before, like his idols Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran, among others. Norman wants that fight 'no matter who wins' at the MGM Grand Garden Arena when Barrios and Pacquiao come to blows. Pacquiao is 'a legend for a reason,' he said. 'So anything is possible.' A southern gent outside the ropes yet a brutal assassin within it, Norman is a throwback. He's a throwback to an age when fighters sought the best fights when they made sense, rather than after a period of over-marination. And so the fight he appears to want above all others remains Ennis, regardless of whether it takes place at 147 pounds or 154. 'Either/or is fine with me,' he said. 'I'm still right here.' Advertisement Norman added: 'I do find it funny that [Ennis' promoter] Eddie Hearn said he would send us a contract, but only if I signed a contract before this fight I got coming up.' Norman vs. Ennis 'was going to be after this one,' he said, 'but the week of this fight, they said, 'We're moving up.' 'We still could have fought after this one,' Norman finished, happy to take Ennis on later this year. 'So I don't see why we couldn't have done that. We still can right now.' First, Norman has to fight Sasaki in an event that kicks off at 1:30 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Follow live coverage of the action early Thursday morning on Uncrowned.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jake Paul told to start 'planning his funeral' after calling out world champion
The 'Problem Child' returns to the ring later this month - but is hoping to earn a few high profile fights with a win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr Cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez has warned Jake Paul to start planning for a 'funeral' amid talks of a potential fight between the pair. The 'Problem Child' returns to the ring later this month and will take on former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Anaheim in a cruiserweight showdown. Chavez Jr comes into the blockbuster showdown off the back of a win over former UFC middleweight contender Uriah Hall. Since making his professional debut back in 2020, Paul has taken the sport of boxing by storm. With a professional record of 11-1, the American holds wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. Paul comes into the clash against Chavez Jr off the back of a win over Mike Tyson last November. Paul is eager to one day compete for a world title, but - amid talks of a potential clash with Ramirez - the American would have to jump into the top 15 of the WBA or WBO to be eligible to fight the Mexican what would amount to a voluntary title defence. According to Nick Walshaw, Paul's team claim that they are in negotiations to face the WBC and WBO cruiserweight champions, Badou Jack and Ramirez. Following those claims, Ramirez - who fights Yuniel Dorticos on the Paul vs Chavez Jr undercard - has sent a chilling warning to the 'Problem Child.' In an interview with World Boxing News, he said: 'I was scheduled for this date since early February or March and was contacted by my team to see if I was interested in being on the same card. 'I know Jake mentioned that he's ready to fight me today during the press conference, but I'm not sure if he really meant it. If he does follow through on his words, I'll be open to giving him a shot at the title. All the respect to him for actually putting in the work and making noise in the sport, but he's a YouTuber at the end of the day. There are levels to this game, and if he really means it, we can make it the next fight.' Ramirez believes he could inflict significant damage on the social media sensation. ' Jake Paul is a hard worker and has generated more success for himself than most professional fighters," he continued. 'It's been impressive to watch, but I do believe he knows best for himself to stay away from a real fighter like myself. All talk is cheap. But Jake Paul knows he should plan a funeral if he commits to a fight against me." With just a few weeks to go until the clash, Paul is confident that he will "embarrass" Chavez Jr. "I'm gonna shock the world once again and prove how good I am, how powerful I am," the 28-year-old said at the launch press conference. "This is his toughest fight to date, and I'm going to embarrass him and make him quit like he always does." He added: "I don't want any excuses, and when I beat this man all the boxing media, like you guys always do, are going to discredit it. But I'm gonna expose him and I'm gonna embarrass him. He's the embarrassment of Mexico. Mexico doesn't claim him. He's going to get exposed on June 28, and then the boxing media will have all these excuses but I don't want them to be having these excuses. They say he's training hard, they say this is the most focused he's ever been, good. As he should be, because people don't realise how good I actually am, and when he feels those first few punches he's going to want to quit and go back to his stool."
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Anthony Joshua given hero's welcome on boxing trip to Ghana as Brit shows off his motorbike skills
ANTHONY JOSHUA got a hero's welcome - and a super-hero entrance - on a boxing trip to Ghana. Watford's two-time heavyweight world champ is on an R&R world tour following September's knockout loss to Daniel Dubois 6 Anthony Joshua with ex-boxer Azumah Nelson Credit: Instagram 6 Joshua showing off his motorbike skills Credit: Instagram 6 He was given a hero's welcome after touching down Credit: Instagram 6 AJ was mobbed by fans in Ghana Credit: Instagram The 35-year-old has enjoyed luxury trips to Oman, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. But he visited the legendary African boxing hotbed of Bukom for an outdoor show on Friday night, and thrilled the nation with his motorbike skills. When the London 2012 icon landed at Kotoka airport in the country's Accra capital, he was mobbed by fans, flags and flowers. A traditional drum band and dancers greeted his arrival, before a local lady grabbed him for a huge hug around the waist and a little girl was thrust into his arms and held above his giant shoulder. A young man then rode a scrambler motorbike into AJ's path and handed it over to the 18st Adonis. The two-wheeled convoy held up traffic for their hero, with some of the daredevil chaperones doing death-defying wheelies along the roads. The proud British-Nigerian, posed for photos with local police and military men, charged with guarding him on his stay. Later in the evening, AJ - on his first trip to the country - wore a Ghana scarf with the word 'Akwaaba' stitched in, meaning 'welcome'. Most read in Boxing CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And once inside the Bukom boxing arena, he mixed and bumped fists with as many fans as he could, even dancing and singing songs. Joshua also met and posed for photos with Ghana legend and former two-weight world champ Azumah Nelson while linking up with Amir Khan. Jake Paul leaks 's***-talking' private messages with Anthony Joshua goading him about being KO'd as trash talk ramps up After American Andrew Tabiti won the headline bout, stopping Ghana's Jacob Dickinson in the fourth round, AJ exited on a motorbike once more, as fans chased him for photos. Promoter Eddie Hearn has been tipping Until WBA, WBC and WBO king Oleksandr Usyk and IBF boss Daniel Dubois decide an undisputed ruler on July 19 at Wembley, the blue-riband division is on hold while the challengers and contenders see how the belts fragment. Despite the brutal KO loss to Dubois, Joshua remains a marketing and promotional dream. And the four major sanctioning bodies would jump at the chance to have him fight for one of their straps. 6 Joshua has been on a string of luxury trips of late Credit: Instagram 6 AJ poses with Amir Khan, left, Viddal Riley, centre and Azumah Nelson, far right Credit: Instagram
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni start time, undercard and how to watch fight tonight
Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni look to reach heavyweight boxing's top table this evening, when they clash over the interim WBA title. Wardley was initially due to fight the controversial Jarrell Miller, but the American withdrew while citing injury, leading Australia's Huni to step in. Advertisement • Watch Wardley vs Huni on DAZN Huni, 26, and Wardley, 30, will each aim to stay unbeaten when they square off at Portman Road, home to Wardley's beloved Ipswich Town FC. Wardley will also aim to maintain his stunning knockout record of 17 stoppages from 18 wins and 19 fights. Last time out, Wardley (18-0-1) left no doubt in his rematch with Frazer Clarke, brutally knocking out his fellow Briton in the first round in October after their epic draw earlier in 2024. Meanwhile, Huni (12-0, 7 KOs) is on a streak of three straight stoppage wins. Here's all you need to know. When is the fight? Wardley vs Huni will take place on Saturday 7 June at Portman Road, the home ground of Ipswich Town FC. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with main-event ring walks expected at 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). Advertisement How can I watch? The event will stream live exclusively on DAZN, which will show the action in more than 200 countries worldwide. Purchase a subscription to DAZN here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month. DAZN has apps available for all of the following platforms: Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire Tablet, Android Phone & Tablet, iPhone & iPad, Android TV, LG, Smart TV, Panasonic Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, SmartCast, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Roku. Odds Fabio Wardley is a big fan of Ipswich Town, whose ground hosts his fight with Justis Huni (Getty) Wardley – 2/7 Huni – 3/1 Draw – 14/1 Via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites' offers. Advertisement Fight card in full Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni (vacant interim WBA heavyweight title) Sam Gilley vs Louis Greene (super-welterweight) Mike Perez vs Steven Ward (cruiserweight) Pierce O'Leary vs Liam Dillon (super-lightweight) Lillie Winch vs Katerina Dvorakova (featherweight)
