WBO Welterweight Champion Brian Norman Jr. Out of November 8th Title Defense

Clash with Derrieck Cuevas Postponed to 2025 Due to Left-hand Injury

Brian Norman’s title defense pushed to 2025 due to injury / BTR Boxing Podcast Network on Facebook.

By Moses Ochieng

WBO welterweight champion Brian Norman Jr. has sustained a left-hand injury and will no longer fight in the November 8th card at the Scopes Center in Norfolk, Virginia. His title defense against Derrieck Cuevas has been postponed to early2025.

Sports writer Dan Rafael reports that Norman Jr. will face Cuevas next year. This would have marked Norman’s first WBO title defense, but it will now be delayed.

“@trboxing & Team Norman tell me Brian Norman is dealing with a left-hand injury, which has forced him out of his 1st defense against Derrieck Cuevas scheduled for Nov. 8 on ESPN+. Plans are to reschedule the bout in early 2025,” Dan Rafael reported on X

Brian Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) quickly ascended to the top of the welterweight division by defeating Giovani Santillan in May, a win that secured him the interim title, which became official once Terence Crawford moved up to 154 pounds permanently. The victory also lined up a potential clash with Jaron “Boots” Ennis, but Norman declined a career-high payday to fight the less-known Puerto Rican contender Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs).

While losing this fight isn’t a major setback, it leaves Top Rank searching for a new co-feature for the November 8th card. One of the undercard bouts will be promoted to co-feature. The main event will see lightweight contender Keyshawn Davis taking on Gustavo Lemos, with ESPN+ broadcasting the event live.

Brian Norman Jr. is facing criticism on social media for rejecting a $1.7 million offer to fight IBF champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis in a unification bout on November 9th. Some fans argue that had Norman accepted the offer, he wouldn’t have suffered a hand injury, which is an unrealistic claim. Norman had requested $2.2 million to face Ennis in his hometown of Philadelphia, but his father, Brian Sr., said they would accept the $1.7 million offer if the fight were held in Las Vegas instead. However, Ennis’ team didn’t agree to that condition.

At just 23 years old, Norman Jr. is not in a hurry to accept what he feels are lowball offers, and it’s likely a smart move. His decision to turn down the fight may lead to a higher offer from Ennis’ promoter, Eddie Hearn, once Norman Jr.’s profile grows.