Boxing

Brian Norman Lands Devastating KO, Stops Jin Sasaki In Round 5 To Retain WBO Title

Brian Norman Jr. with a KO of the Year candidate, knocking out Jin Sasaki to retain the WBO welterweight title.
Johan Alyas Blanco|
Brian Norman Jr. (Left) & Jin Sasaki (Right) posing for pictures at weigh-ins.
Brian Norman Jr. (Left) & Jin Sasaki (Right) posing for pictures at weigh-ins. | Naoki Fukuda/Top Rank Boxing

Brian Norman Jr. adds to his highlight reel and once again silences a hometown crowd.

The 24-year-old records arguably the knockout of the year, stopping Jin Sasaki in the fifth round, on Thursday. Norman Jr. (28-0, 2NC, 22 KOs) makes his second defense of his WBO welterweight title and continues to prove that he is the boogeyman at 147 lbs.

The fight was streamed live on ESPN+, and was promoted by Top Rank Boxing. The bout took place at the Ota-City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

From round one, Sasaki (19-2-1, 17 KOs) started out fast, pressing forward and being the aggressor, but that did not last very long. The first clean shot Norman landed resulted in a knockdown, catching Sasaki with a counter left hook. The champion then pressed the action scoring a second knockdown in the first as a result of combination. From there on, it was an uphill battle for the Japanese boxer.

Counterpunching and speed was the difference, with Norman Jr. taking advantage of Sasaki's eagerness to close the gap. While Sasaki was fighting back and doing some good bodywork, the WBO champion used his jab to create space and do his best work.

Clobbering shot after clobbering shot, the punishment kept building, with Sasaki taking major damage. And though the 23-year-old showed a fighting spirit, asking for Norman to attack more, the momentum of the bout foreshadowed what was going to happen.

In the fifth round, as Sasaki was targeting the body, Norman Jr. landed a leaping left hook, knocking him out cold. Norman changed levels well, throwing to the head once he saw Sasaki drop his hands.

"The Assassin" closes the show in "the Land of the Rising Sun" and proves that enemy territory is his true home.

Following the bout, there was concerns on Sasaki's well-being, but thankfully he got up and went backstage quickly.

Norman Jr. was asked, post-fight, what's next for him following another dominant performance. With him being the No. 1 ranked welterweight according to Ring Magazine, he called out the unified WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine champion in the coolest way possible.

A bout between Norman Jr. and Jaron "Boots" Ennis (34-0, 1NC, 30 KOs) is the fight to make at 147 lbs. Not only would it pit the top two boxers at welterweight against each other, but it's a bout that could rejuvenate the hype surrounding the once glamorous division. Unfortunately, Boots announced yesterday in an Instagram post he's already set to move up to 154.

Thursday proved that "The Assassin" is not only a top welterweight, but he's also one of the most feared fighters in boxing today.

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Johan Alyas Blanco
JOHAN ALYAS BLANCO

Johan Alyas Blanco is a writer for KO On SI. Before joining in March 2025, he worked as a News Producer in Tallahassee and Orlando. He also works for several fight promotions in boxing and MMA, working on social media content. When he’s not writing, Alyas covers boxing on his own YouTube channel, The Split Decision. Blanco has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from UCF, with a minor in sports business management. Alyas has interviewed several big names in combat sports, including Jorge Masvidal, Edgar Berlanga and Brian Norman Jr. His goal is to bring boxing back to prominence.

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