Brian Norman Jr Victorious In Tokyo Massacre

Brian Norman Jr. left the Tokyo crowd stunned and speechless after scoring a devastating knockout over hometown hero Jin Sasaki. Norman, 24, knocked Sasaki on his back for over a minute after connecting with a crushing counter left hook in Round 5 to retain his WBO welterweight title Thursday morning at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

Brian Norman (27-0, 21 KOs), knocked Sasaki down twice in the opening round. The young American champion dropped Sasaki with a counter left hook inside the first 40 seconds. From that point you knew that the hometown hero was in for a long night in the ring.

Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs) shortly tried to counter and was unsuccessful. Leaving himself open again. Norman capitalized as he landed a combination that put Sasaki down on the canvas for the second time in the contest.

Sasaki was caught with major shots in every round that followed, with the third frame being another particularly strong one for Norman. Sasaki had some success with left hooks in Rounds 3 and 4, but it was inconsequential in the wider context of the fight. Sasaki’s attacks were too wild and open, making him susceptible to Norman’s crisp counter-punching.

In Round 5, Sasaki was clearly fading, he threw a jab that Norman evaded and countered with a crushing left hook that dropped him. Sasaki’s head hit the canvas as he dropped, and he was taken from the ring on a stretcher. Sasaki’s condition is unknown at this point. With Norman retaining his belt, he remains the youngest champion in all of boxing.

No Boots for Norman Jr.

Brian Norman had some choice words about Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis announcing his move up to super welterweight on Wednesday, just hours before Norman’s ring return.

“It was a wonderful fight. I had a great opponent in front of me. You all seen he’s got heart. That boy is not a slouch at all. I give nothing but props to him,” Norman said in a post fight interview. “I wish I had a certain fight coming up against Jaron Ennis. They heard ‘B. Norm The Storm’ is coming, and you know what happens when a storm is coming: You grab your boots and run. We shall see what’s next for me.”