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Brian Norman Jr. defended his WBO Welterweight Title against Jin Sasaki with a brutal fifth-round stoppage.

Norman Jr. was looking to unify the division, having knocked out Derrieck Cuevas in his last fight. He was recently elevated from his interim status to the full champion once Terence Crawford moved up. The Cuevas win proved that Norman Jr. was a danger in the division, as he extended his record to 27-0, with 21 knockouts.

Sasaki was undefeated at 147, with his only defeat coming at 140. He was 19–1-0, with 17 stoppages. He had six KOs out of his last seven, as he beat Shoki Sakai in his previous bout. Norman Jr. overpowered his man, showing that he belongs at the top of the 147 divison. This is how the fight played out.

Updates

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round five:

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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