Sasaki Guns for Japan's First World Welterweight Title, Honor as Asia's Best Asian Boxing Nation
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 28 Apr 2025
Jin Sasaki.
Japan is undeniably king of boxing's lighter weight divisions.
Led by Naoya Inoue, Japan's current harvest of seven world boxing championships are found in the flyweight, the bantamweight and super bantamweight where Inoue reigns undisputed. It could have been more if not for a couple of unification fights involving fellow Japanese world titlists.
With such achievement, Japan could boast to being the best boxing nation in Asia of all time.
It could very well if not for the fact that it has not produced a world champion in the welterweight, one of the original boxing weight classes.
Through Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines, a fierce regional rival, has won world titles at welterweight. And almost a century ago, the Philippines through Ceferino Garcia also won a world title at middleweight, another of boxing's original and glamorous weight division.
Japan hopes to win its first at 147 lbs as OPBF titlist Jin Sasaki challenges American champion Brian Norman for his WBO welterweight title on June 19, 2025 at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Sasaki (19-1-1, 17 KOs) has not lost in nine bouts since moving up to the welterweights after being stopped by another unbeaten Japanese prospect Andy Hiraoka in 2021. Noted for his heavy hands and volume punching, Sasaki's latest list of victims included Keita Obara, Australian Quamil Balla and Filipino Joey Noynay.
Brian Norman Jr is a motivated and talented champion who readily accepted this opportunity, according to Top Rank top honcho Bob Arum who will co-promote the bout.
"Jin Sasaki has power and punches in volume and their styles will make for a dramatic, action packed world title showdown," Arum said.
It will still be a tall order for Sasaki to beat Norman even if he will enjoy the hometown advantage.
Fighting abroad is the least of the American's worries as Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) fought 13 times in Mexico early in his career, including nine times before he was 18. Those experiences set him on a path to contention as "The Assassin" notched a string of highlight-reel knockouts prior to his Top Rank debut in early 2023. After a knockout drought in his last four fights, Norman registered a huge upset last May 2024 of hometown hero Giovanni Santillan in 10 dramatic rounds in San Diego for the WBO interim title. He was soon elevated as full champion after Terrence Crawford moved up to super welterweight. Norman defended the title last March by third round TKO over Puerto Rico’s Dierreck Cuevas.
"The king from the south comes to take over the world. I like how that sounds," Norman said. "On June 19, I'm ready to put on a stellar performance and write another triumphant chapter of the "The Norman Experience."
The closest a Japanese boxer came to fight at least for a crack at then world welterweight champion Curtis Cokes was in 1967 when then Oriental titlist Musashi Nakano, considered as almost unbeatable in Asia, fought then world title challenger Ernie "The Red" Lopez in Aichi and was knocked out in the third round.
Naoya said Japan is on a golden age in boxing, so who knows.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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