Brian Norman Jnr will travel to Tokyo to take on Japan’s Jin Sasaki and defend his welterweight title on June 19, promoter Top Rank announced Thursday night.
Norman, 27-0 (21 KOs), of Atlanta, will make the nearly 7,000-mile trip to make the second defense of his title against Sasaki, 19-1-1 (17 KOs), at Ota City General Gymnasium in Sasaki’s hometown.
“Brian Norman Jr. is a motivated and talented champion who didn’t hesitate when offered this opportunity,” Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum said. “Jin Sasaki has power and punches in volume, and their styles will make for a dramatic, action-packed world title showdown.”
Also on the bill will be Cristian Araneta, 25-2 (20 KOs), facing Thanongsak Simsri, 38-1 (34 KOs), for a vacant junior flyweight world title in the co-main event; and welterweight Sora Tanaka, 3-0 (3 KOs), squaring off against Takeru Kobata, 14-7-1 (6 KOs) in an all-Japanese welterweight bout.
Norman, 24, isn’t new to fighting abroad. After making his pro debut in the States in 2018, he took his next 12 fights in Mexico – nine of them before he had turned 18 years old. Norman knocked out then-undefeated Giovani Santillan in the latter’s hometown of San Diego last May to earn an interim belt. Elevated to full titleholder status upon Terence Crawford’s move out of the division, Norman followed hand surgery by making his first defense in March, stopping Cuba’s Derrieck Cuevas inside three rounds in Las Vegas.
“The king from the South comes to take over the world – I like how that sounds,” Norman said of the Sasaki matchup in Tokyo. “On June 19, I’m ready to put on a stellar performance and write another triumphant chapter of ‘The Norman Experience.’”
Sasaki, 23, hasn’t lost in nine fights since moving up to welterweight in 2021. Most recently, he went 12 rounds for the first time to win a unanimous decision over Shoki Sakai last January.
The Norman-Sasaki headliner and the top two supporting bouts will stream live on ESPN+ in the United States.
AloJapan.com