A few months ago, Brian Norman Jr. was being heavily linked to a unification showdown against welterweight poster boy Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis but the fight failed to materialize. Instead, the undefeated WBO champion opted to move on and fight an alternate opponent, although it appears as though that fight may not happen either.
IBF world champion, Ennis, appears to be the man to beat at 147lbs at the moment – supported by both a significant promotional backing and global respect from fans. However, when Norman Jr. was upgraded to full WBO champion it seemed as though he would be the welterweight to put this theory to the test and attempt to expose his ‘overrated’ fellow title-holder.
Talks between the American duo commenced shortly after, but Matchroom Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed that Norman Jr. was asking for too much money for the clash, amazed that the 23-year-old would turn down such an opportunity if his beliefs regarding Ennis’ ability were sincere.
“It’s frustrating. You hear everything that Brian Norman Sr. his saying and none of it really makes sense. This is a really simple situation, the first offer that was made to Brian Norman Jr. was nicely over $1 million, they said that was ‘nowhere near’.
“We’ve made two more offers, quarter of a million dollars [more] every time now, to levels that Brian Norman will never see. We keep getting told that we are close, then we go back and make another offer, then we are told by his team that we are not that close and I start to think ‘Brian Norman, do you want this fight? Or are you clout-chasing, or as the others might say over here, capping?’.
“Do you want to be great, Brian Norman? I’m not being funny but who is Brian Norman? I know that Brian Norman is a good fighter, but nobody knows who Brian Norman is. We are giving you a bucket load of money and the opportunity for you to unify the division against [someone who is], in my opinion, one of the top pound-for-pounders in the world.
“You say that Boots is overrated, you say that he’s not the bogeyman, so why would you not take this bucket load of money to prove that you’re the best welterweight in the world?”
Shortly after Hearn’s comments, the IBF ordered Ennis to fulfil his mandatory defence and rematch Karen Chukhadzhian for an event that has since been officially announced, whilst Norman Jr. moved on for a supposed first defence of his world title against Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas.
Yet, it appears as though Norman Jr.’s first outing as a world champion may have to wait, after Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix declared that ‘The Assassin II’ has suffered a hand injury – throwing the contest into doubt.
Brian Norman, who is scheduled to defend his 147-pound title on November 8th, has a hand injury and his status for a scheduled fight against Derrieck Cuevas is questionable, sources told @SInow.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) September 27, 2024
“Brian Norman, who is scheduled to defend his 147-pound title on November 8th, has a hand injury and his status for a scheduled fight against Derrieck Cuevas is questionable, sources told @SInow.”
Mannix went on to detail that the November 8th event has sold well and would be expected to go ahead without Norman-Cuevas, with Keyshawn Davis’ lightweight clash with Gustavo Lemos being the headline attraction.
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