WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. says he wants to fight a unification next against WBC champ Mario Barrios to capture his prestigious belt and become a two-belt champion.
Norman Jr. (27-0, 21 KOs) wants to take the WBC belt from Barrios (29-2-1, 18 KOs) and then face the winner of the April 12th fight between WBA champion Eimantas Stanionis and IBF champ Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for the undisputed championship. If things go as Brian Jr. plans, he’ll hold all four belts in his next two fights.
Norman’s Goal: Barrios First
“That is the fight that I want the most because unified and then undisputed, then right after that,” said Brian Norman Jr. to Sean Zittel when asked if he wants to fight WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios next. “Also, the WBC. We all know the legends in this game had the WBC belt. I want to have that belt.”
Norman Jr. should focus on a more realistic fight for himself against #2 WBO Jin Sasaki. That’s an easy fight to make for Brian Jr. and his promoters at Top Rank. There’s also a lot of money that would be available in that fight if they take it in Japan.
“That green belt, we all need that in our life. That is the fight that I do want the most because I can have the WBC belt and the WBO. Then whoever wins the fight on April 12th [between IBF 147-lb Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis and WBA champ Eimantas Stanionis]. Boom, undisputed fight just that quick,” said Norman Jr.
That would rile Boots and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, if Norman Jr. got to Barrios before they did and relieved him of his WBC belt. That would put Boots in a position where he would negotiate on even terms with a two-belt champion Norman Jr. Things would be a lot different if he goes into talks holding two titles to just one for Norman Jr.
“Because of the work I put in. Of course, he’s coming with everything he’s got. He’s a dog. Also, I’m everything and then some,” said Norman Jr. when asked why he’ll beat Mario Barrios. “So, he simply doesn’t have enough on me.”
Norman Jr. would be a big favorite against Barrios if he could get the chance to fight him. We saw how Barrios struggled in his last fight against Abel Ramos, and he was held to a controversial 12-round draw in their clash on November 15th last year at AT& Stadium in Arlington, Texas. A lot of boxing fans had Ramos winning that fight. Barrio didn’t look any better than he did when he was beaten by Keitth Thurman in 2022.
Stopping Barrios?
“Yeah, I definitely stop him. No matter what, the longer the fight goes, the better I get. I proved that in the Giovani [Santillan] fight, and I was starting to prove that in this fight,” said Norman Jr. when asked if he’ll stop Barrios. “I was starting to prove that in this fight [Derreck Cuevas], but he couldn’t take it. The longer the fight goes on, the better I get.
“Let’s get this thing popping. You haven’t fought in a minute, I believe. I’m right here. I just got done fighting. We can pop right back in next if need be,” said Nornan Jr. when asked if he has a message for Barrios.
“It’s very inevitable [Norman Jr. and Jaron Ennis fighting]. A lot of people say we’re the best two welterweights. So, it’s got to go down.”
It doesn’t look likely that Norman Jr. will get a chance to fight Barrios because he’s obviously being kept on ice until the money players, Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, or Teofimo Lopez, look in his direction. Barrios’ promoters know better than to match him against Norman Jr. because the chances are high that he’ll lose. Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis may have similar problems trying to get a fight against Barrios unless his promoters or the Saudis offer him a big payday.
Last Updated on 04/02/2025
2025-04-03 02:16:01
