WBO welterweight champion Brian “The Assassin II” Norman Jr. has signed a multi-year contract extension with Top Rank, keeping the unbeaten 24-year-old aligned with the powerhouse ahead of his third title defense against Devin Haney on Nov. 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “We are thrilled to be part of the next phase of Brian’s career,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, projecting Norman’s rise “from world champion to the top of the pound-for-pound list.”
Norman (28-0, 22 KOs), from Decatur, Georgia, turned pro at 17 and built a 22-0 mark before signing with Top Rank in December 2022. The early “road warrior” phase—13 fights in Mexico—hardened him for a breakout 10th-round stoppage of Giovani Santillan in San Diego (May 2024) to claim the WBO interim crown. He was later elevated to full champion after Terence Crawford vacated.
Watch Norman Jr. vs. Sasaki highlights: Watch
Hand surgery sidelined Norman for the rest of 2024, but he returned with emphasis: a third-round demolition of Derrieck Cuevas in March and, in June, what his team lauds as the Knockout of the Year, a left hook that flattened Japan’s Jin Sasaki in Tokyo. “I believe in loyalty,” Norman said. “Top Rank believed in me from the start, and I’m proud to keep building with the home team.”
Fighters First Management CEO Adrian Clark credited a full cast—Brian Norman Sr., Jolene Mizzone, Brad Goodman and Bruce Trampler—for steering the champion to this point, and framed the extension as the platform for a defining run. The timing couldn’t be sharper: Haney brings elite name value and high-stakes intrigue to Riyadh in November.
For the self-styled “King of the South,” the mission is simple: keep winning, keep punching, and make the next chapter louder than the last. “We’re only getting started,” Norman said.
Image Credit: Naoki Fukuda