Brian Norman Jr looks to come out on top on June 19 when he faces Jin Sasaki at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. Battling it out in the main event, the champion from Decatur, GA makes the second defense of his WBO welterweight title.
At the final pre-fight press conference, Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) said that becoming champion was something he dreamed of for a long time. Ahead of his bout against Japanese contender Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs) in his home country, the unbeaten 24-year-old is confident in his victory.
“This championship belt means everything to me. This opens a whole lot of doors. This is what I dreamed about since I was 7 years old,” said Brian Norman Jr. “I’m 24 years old now, so just imagine how long that is. That’s 17 years. This is literally what I’ve been working for my whole life. I’m not giving it up at all. I don’t care where I’m at, I don’t care what the location is… this will forever be with me.”
“I look out here and I see the fanbase that he has. I see all the love he has received, and I respect that he’s doing his job. Now it’s time for me to do the job that I’m supposed to do as the WBO welterweight world champion.”
“Confidence is key. With Jin Sasaki saying he’s only 80 percent confident, I mean, that’s on him. But, also, he says he wants to overcome that. I respect him for being a man and actually saying that out loud and being real with everyone and himself. With me, I come to the ring every time a million percent confident and ready to go. I know the work I put in. I know the time I put in.”
“This is not just this year. This is not just last year. This is year after year, day after day, second after second. This is what I live for. This is what I love to do.”
“Of course, we’re here in front of all these cameras, but to be real, it’s just the sport of boxing. I don’t really care about this. I just like to fight, and I will have fun in the ring come June 19.”
Norman vs Sasaki undercard
The press conference also featured the fighters battling it out on the Norman vs Sasaki undercard. In the co-main event Sora Tanaka (3-0, 3 KOs) meets fellow Japanese Takeru Kobata (14-7-1, 6 KOs) at welterweight.
Among other matchups, Yuya Oku (8-0-2, 5 KOs) and Reiya Abe (26-4-2, 10 KOs) clash for the vacant Japanese title at featherweight. Plus, Cristian Araneta (25-2, 20 KOs) of the Philippines and Thanongsak Simsri (38-1, 34 KOs) of Thailand battle it out for the vacant IBF super strawweight title.
In the U.S. the event airs live on ESPN+, starting at 4:00 AM ET / 1:00 AM PT. The main event ring walks are expected at approximately 7:15 AM / 4:15 AM PT.