Brian Norman Jr. looks to take his status as “world champion” to heart when he travels to Japan on June 19 to defend the WBO welterweight title against Jin Sasaki. The fight airs on ESPN+.
Norman (27-0) competes outside North America for the first time. He won interim gold last May and was elevated to full-time champion after Terence Crawford vacated the WBO belt.
“The Assassin II” is ready to continue his reign and become boxing’s new golden boy. He’s prepared for whatever Sasaki throws at him.
“I know Sasaki’s habits, techniques and anything he wants to do,” said Norman. “There’s nothing he can do to surprise me besides grow a third arm. I’m expecting him to fight harder than he ever has before because of the magnitude of this fight, but the end result will still be the same. I came with my belt and I’m leaving with my belt.”
Sasaki (19-1-1) hasn’t lost a fight since 2021 and has 17 wins via knockout. The 23-year-old from Hachioji looks to win his first world title after holding the Japanese title.
Top prospects look to impress on the Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki undercard while light flyweight gold is on the line.
Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki undercard
Here’s a breakdown of all the action on the Norman vs. Sasaki card.
Sora Tanaka vs. Takeru Kobata
- Division/Weight: Welterweight
- Tanaka record: 3-0
- Kobata record: 14-7-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
The co-feature will see Sora Tanaka vs. Takeru Kobata.
Considered a prodigy, Tankaka (3-0) is a former Japanese National Champion at the amateur level. The 24-year-old has won all of his fights via knockout and looks to go 2-0 in 2025.
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The 26-year-old Kobata (14-7-1) has won local gold in Japan. He’s 2-2 in his last four fights and has six wins via knockout.
Cristian Araneta vs. Thanongsak Simsri
- Division/Weight: Light Flyweight
- Araneta record: 25-2
- Simsri record: 38-1
- Belts at stake: IBF light flyweight title
Cristian Araneta and Thanongsak Simsri compete for the vacant IBF light flyweight title.
Araneta (25-2) boxes in Japan for the first time. The Filipino is on a six-fight win streak, taking out five of those opponents via knockout. “The Bomb,” ranked first by the IBF, has won 20 fights courtesy of the power punch.
Ranked second, Simsri (38-1) is on a fourteen-fight win streak. The Thai fighter has 34 knockouts.
Yuya Oku vs. Reiya Abe
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Oku record: 8-0-2
- Abe record: 26-4-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
Yuya Oku faces Reiya Abe.
Oku (8-0-2) won three straight fights via knockout before drawing against Kyohei Tonomoto. The 28-year-old from Tokyo has five wins inside the distance.
A former IBF featherweight title challenger, Abe (26-4-2) was stopped by Luis Alberto Lopez. He has since gone 1-0-1, also fighting to a draw in his most recent contest. He hopes a win brings him back to being a top contender.
Ren Ohashi vs. Guangheng Luan
- Division/Weight: Featherweight
- Ohashi record: 3-0
- Luan record: 13-8-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
Further down the card will see Ren Ohashi vs. Guangheng Luan.
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Ohashi (3-0) looks to go 2-0 in 2025. He’s won all of his fights via knockout. The 23-year-old faces Luan (13-8-2), on a 10-fight win streak. The Chinese fighter has nine wins via knockout.
Seiya Yamaguchi vs. Ryosuke Kiuchi
- Division/Weight: Lightweight
- Yamaguchi record: 3-1
- Kiuchi record: 3-3-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
Yamaguchi (3-1) is 2-1 in his last three fights. The 31-year-old attempts to win two straight against Kiuchi (3-3-1), also looking for his second straight win after going 2-1 in his past three contests.
Yuito Moriwaki vs. Ha So Baek
- Division/Weight: Super Middleweight
- Moriwaki record: N/A
- Baek record: 3-1
- Belts at stake: N/A
Finally, Yuito Moriwaki faces Ha So Baek.
A 2020 Olympian, Moriwaki turns pro against former Mongolian amateur champion Baek (3-1), who is 1-1 in his past two fights.
Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki tune-in info
- Date: Thursday, June 19
- Start time: 4 a.m. ET | 1 a.m. PT | 9 a.m. BST | 6 p.m. AEST
- Main event start tme (approx.): 7:15 a.m. ET | 4:15 a.m. PT | 12:15 p.m. BST | 9:15 p.m. AEST
- Location: Ota-City General Gymnasium – Tokyo, Japan
- Live stream: ESPN+
Fight fans can watch Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki on ESPN+. For a limited time, new and eligible returning subscribers can get three months of ESPN+ for just $4.99 per month, a savings of more than 50% over the usual $11.99 monthly rate.
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