Boxing

Brian Norman Jr. Ready To Prove He's A Real Champion

Brian Norman Jr. is looking to make the first defense of his WBO welterweight title vs. Derrieck Cuevas.

Nathaniel Marrero

Brian Norman Jr. lands a left uppercut on Giovani Santillan in their WBO interim welterweight title bout.
Brian Norman Jr. lands a left uppercut on Giovani Santillan in their WBO interim welterweight title bout. / IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

For some, the moment a title gets put on their shoulder or wrapped around their waist is the moment they've become champion.

For others, they believe it isn't until after their first title defense that they're officially a champion.

WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. believes in the latter, and he's set to make the first defense against Derrieck Cuevas on Saturday at the BleauLive Theater at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. With the challenge that lies ahead, Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) is ready to prove himself as a champion.

“You’re not a real champion until you defend your title," Norman said at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday. "I’ve got a tough competitor ahead of me. I’m ready to prove myself.”

Norman Jr. was elevated to the full WBO welterweight champion after winning the interim belt with a 10th-round stoppage of Giovani Santillan after a brutal back-and-forth war. The two exchanged blows for the better part of the fight, but Norman Jr.'s sharpness and power eventually allowed him to get the edge.

In the 10th round, Norman Jr. dropped Santillan twice to earn the stoppage victory. The first knockdown came from a right uppercut, then the second was from a brutal left uppercut and referee Ray Corona stopped the fight without a count.

Norman Jr. was elevated to full titlist after Terence Crawford vacated his title last year.

With Norman Jr. becoming the champion due to Crawford moving up to junior middleweight and relinquishing his belt, Cuevas believes the pressure is on Norman Jr. to deliver a good performance to prove his status.

“He’s got the pressure," Cuevas said. "He’s got to look good because everyone knows that he didn’t get the belt by fighting a world champion. I’m ready, I hit hard [and] I’m strong.”

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Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) has won his last four fights by stoppage and hasn't gone beyond six rounds during his win streak. The last time Cuevas won by decision was in 2019.

Going from someone who's fighting for a title to having a belt has caused Norman Jr. to focus more inward on where he needs to improve. With the shift in mindset and Norman Jr. feeling well prepared heading into Saturday, he's ready to stake his claim as one of the best welterweights in the world when he faces Cuevas.

“It is a transition from targeting others to now being a target," Norman said. "So now it’s not about looking out anymore but more so about looking in at the man in the mirror and on what I need to work on. I now have nothing holding me back regarding injuries. I’m very well rested. I’ve got my mind together. I’ve got everything together. And now it’s just time to prove myself.”

Norman Jr. faces Cuevas in the co-main to Mikaela Mayer vs. Sandy Ryan. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN plus and ESPN Deportes.

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Nathaniel Marrero
NATHANIEL MARRERO

Nathaniel Marrero is a writer for the Boxing, Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Ravens On SI sites. He's also written for the Orlando Sentinel and MLB.com, and was a part of UCF's sports show, Hitting The Field. He attended UCF and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023. Twitter/X: Nate_Marrero