Brian Norman Jr. (born November 23, 2000) is an American professional boxer, who held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title from 2024 to 2025.
Early life Norman was born in Decatur, Georgia on November 23, 2000. He began training boxing as his father, Brian Norman Sr. is a long time boxing enthusiast and professional boxer.
Professional career
Early career Norman made his debut at the age of 17, in Houston, Texas, stopping Kire Lucas. His next 12 bouts all took place in Mexico. All but two ended inside the distance, with one going the 4-round distance and the other ended in a no contest in round 1. In September 2018, Norman delivered a powerful body shot to Dario Medina, stunning him within the first minute of their fight. The fight took place under Now Boxing Promotions. He was scheduled to make his debut on a ShoBox: The New Generation card on March 13, 2020 at the Grand Casino Hinckley in Hinckley, Minnesota. Norman fought Flavio Rodriguez (9-1-1, 7 KOs) in an 8-round welterweight bout. The card was primarily promoted by Salita Promotions. Norman secured victory through a technical unanimous decision after Rodriguez sustained a cut in the early stages of the seventh round, rendering him unable to continue. After seven completed rounds, the judges scored the fight 68–65, 68–85 and 69–64 for Norman. Fans were barred from attending the event as a precautionary measure to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. On October 17, Norman faced off against Juan Rodriguez, achieving a knockout in the first round at the Manual Airtime Community Center Theatre in Miami, Florida. With the win, Norman improved to 18-0 1 NC, 15 knockouts. On March 10, 2021, Norman appeared on a non-televised undercard at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. He won following a fifth-round knockout of Benjamin Whitaker (15-5, 3 KOs). The stoppage occurred at 1:56 of the fifth round. Norman was due to fight gatekeeper Todd Manuel on April 10, 2021 at the Buckhead Fight Club in Norman's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. On the day prior to the fight, Augustine Maurus replaced Manuel, who withdrew without providing a reason. Norman won by TKO in the fourth round. His next win came on August 14 at World Congress Center in Atlanta. Norman knocked Demian Fernandez down twice before the fight was halted in the first round.
Signing with Top Rank In December 2022, Norman signed with Top Rank. His first fight under Top Rank was scheduled for January 14, at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York against Rodrigo Damian Coria (10-4, 2 KOs). Norman came close to securing a knockout within the first 30 seconds of the fight, but he was unable to finish the fight. The bout extended the full eight rounds, culminating in a unanimous decision victory for Norman. The judges' scorecards reflected scores of 79–72, 77–74, and 77–74 in favor of Norman. The fight marked the fourth occasion in which Norman had gone to a decision in his career. He went the 8-round distance again on May 13 at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California against Jesus Antonio Perez. Norman won with scores of 77–75, 77–75 and 78–74.
Norman fought Quinton Randall on the Shakur Stevenson-Edwin De Los Santos undercard, for the vacant WBO international welterweight title on November 16, 2023 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 10-round bout was described as more wrestling than boxing. All three judges awarded the win to Norman, who displayed a more aggressive style throughout the fight. Norman's performance, while effective, did not leave a strong impression despite maintaining his unbeaten record. Randall was noted for initiating numerous clinches during the match as Norman pressed forward. Two judges scored the bout 99-91 and the third had it 97-93.
In his first title defense of the international title, Norman faced Janelson Bocachica at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York on March 2, 2024. The bout ended in a no contest after both boxers sustained cuts to their foreheads before the fourth round. Norman started the fight tense, leading to an early knockdown from an overhand right in the first round. Despite the knockdown, Norman managed to cut Bocachica over his left eye during the same round. In the second round, Norman suffered a cut over his right eye, while Bocachica was cut on his forehead due to a head clash. The fight became chaotic, with both fighters bleeding and throwing heavy punches without proper setup. Bocachica capitalized on Norman's struggle with range, effectively timing his shots. After three rounds, Bocachica's corner made the decision to withdraw from the fight, which would have proceeded to the scorecards if it had continued.
WBO welterweight champion Norman vs. Santillan
On April 4, 2024 it was announced that Norman would fight WBO No. 1-ranked fighter Giovani Santillan (32-0, 17 KOs) on May 18, at Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California. The fight was scheduled as a co-feature on the Emanuel Navarrete vs. Denys Berinchyk card. Santillan was coming off a stoppage victory against Alexis Rocha and had regained the WBO-NABO title in October 2023. Norman entered as the underdog (+350 odds) facing hometown favorite Santillan. The interim WBO welterweight belt was at stake due to the primary champion, Terence Crawford, was planning to move up to challenge Israil Madrimov on August 3, 2024. Norman was ranked No. 10 with the WBO. During the build-up, Santillan aimed for a decisive victory, either by knockout or clear decision, to solidify his claim for a world title shot. Norman aimed to make a significant impact and recognized Santillan's prior performance. He was resolved to assert his dominance in their matchup.
Norman won via knockout in round 10, claiming the interim WBO welterweight title, shocking Santillan's local supporters. Norman was ahead on all judges’ cards at the time of stoppage and demonstrated resilience to overcome Santillan's early dominance. The fight started competitively with both fighters exchanging blows. Norman showcased strong counter-punching skills, landing significant uppercuts. In the opening rounds, Santillan seemed to apply pressure, but Norman effectively countered. By the end of the eighth round, Norman delivered a strong uppercut that resulted in significant bleeding from Santillan's nose, which adversely impacted his performance in the subsequent rounds. Although Santillan endeavored to respond, he seemed to be at a disadvantage as the fight continued. In the tenth round, Norman executed a right-left combination that sent Santillan to the floor. After he regained his footing, Santillan was struck again and fell to the canvas, leading the referee to halt the contest at 1:33 of the round, declaring Norman the winner by knockout. Norman sustained a hand injury from the decisive knockout punch in the fight, which required surgery and delayed his next bout. According to CompuBox, over the ten rounds, Santillan landed 113 of his 396 punches thrown (28.5%) and Norman landed157 of his 555 thrown (28.3%). In the post-fight, Norman expressed his interest in facing Terence Crawford, who was anticipated to vacate his title. Initially, Norman aimed at Mario Barrios, another recent interim title winner, but promptly redirected his attention to Conor Benn, specifying his intention to secure a decisive victory over Benn before revisiting a match with Barrios.
On August 12, 2024, Terence Crawford vacated the WBO welterweight title to remain at junior middleweight and Norman was promoted to full champion.
Norman vs. Cuevas On August 30, 2024, it was revealed that talks for a fight between Norman and Jaron Ennis ended due to financial disagreements. It was announced that Norman would instead fight #7 ranked Derrieck Cuevas (27–1–1, 19 KO) on November 8 on the Keyshawn Davis vs. Gustavo Lemos card on ESPN. Cuevas was viewed as a less credible threat to Norman based on recent performances. The fight was confirmed a week later, taking place at the Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. On October 1, Norman sustained an injury to his left hand, resulting in the cancellation of his fight with Cuevas. He intended to reschedule the fight for the first quarter of 2025. Carl Moretti later confirming the fight would be scheduled for March 2025. The fight was rescheduled to March 29, at the Fontainebleau in Las Vegas.
During the lead-up to the event, Norman underscored the importance of title defense for a champion to be regarded as such. Cuevas had been inactive for 15 months and had never faced an opponent of Norman's caliber. Having experienced his only career loss in 2020, Cuevas had since recorded four consecutive stoppages. He perceived Norman's remarks and his continued emphasis on Ennis as disrespectful, viewing them as an effort to diminish his standing. Cuevas disputed Norman's claim to the WBO welterweight title, contending that Norman was not the authentic champion. Cuevas expressed doubt regarding Norman's status, indicating that the title was awarded rather than earned through competition against a legitimate champion. This exchange heightened the tension leading up to their forthcoming fight. Norman appeared surprised by Cuevas's remarks but countered by questioning whether a victory over him would establish Cuevas as a champion. Cuevas upheld his position, asserting that Norman's title resulted from his elevation from interim status in 2024, rather than through a bout against a recognized champion.
In the highly anticipated fight, Norman secured a technical knockout against Cuevas in the third round, successfully defending his WBO welterweight title. Norman approached the fight with caution, initially enduring some early strikes from Cuevas, who was recognized for his punching power. Both engaged in exchanging strong punches, resulting in a competitive opening round. By the second round, Norman established his rhythm, delivering impactful left hooks that notably troubled Cuevas. The momentum began to shift in favor of Norman as his connections became more frequent. The bout concluded in the third round when Norman landed a left hook that knocked Cuevas to the canvas. Although Cuevas was able to rise, he did not adequately respond to the referee's commands, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 2:59 of the round. Post-fight, Norman expressed his desire to pursue further title opportunities, particularly the winner of Jaron Ennis-Eimantas Stanionis, and solidify his status among the top fighters. Over the three rounds, Norman landed 30 of 91 punches thrown (33%) and Cuevas landed 19 of 77 punches (24.7%).
Norman vs. Sasaki