Brian Norman Jr Scores Stunning KO in Japan
Norman made his first defense of the WBO welterweight championship with this brutal fifth round KO in Japan. This is easily a contender for knockout of the year and is a brutal one shot finish. Norman is now likely to be seen as the number one welterweight with unified champion Jaron Ennis moving up in weight. Norman turned down a career high 1.7 million dollars to fight Ennis and now that fight appears dead in the water. Norman is crying “duck” but he did just that when presented with the fight in 2024. He recently called out Manny Pacquiao which I think is pretty pathetic though we will see if he gets past Mario Barrios.
Jaron Ennis Moves Up
Ennis the dangerous punching Philly fighter unified two welterweight titles after Terrence Crawford and Errol Spence fought each other and left the division. Major fights have eluded Ennis who managed to win two titles but was unable to secure a true super fight. The previous champions did not give him a chance and Norman turned down a fight. Ennis who was known to struggle to make weight looks to have grown tired of waiting for Norman and moved up to 154. The new weight class has a number of great fights including a great match up with Vergil Ortiz.
Jaime Munguia’s B Sample Tests Positive
Jaime Munguia won a unanimous decision on May 3rd in Saudi Arabia to avenge his December KO defeat to France’s Bruno Surace. In a solid performance the former champion boxed his way to a commanding decision. Munguia has been criticized for his leaky defense and gone through several trainers trying to polish his fundamentals and style. The victory erased the shocking loss and put Munguia back in the conversation. Now it is looking likely that the win will become a no contest and that he will be suspended. This is yet another fighter training under Eddy Reynoso that tested positive for a banned substance. Notably Canelo Alvarez and Oscar Valdez also failed drug tests while in camp with Reynoso.
Weighing in on ESPN’s Real or Not Article
Is Lomachenko the best lightweight of the generation? Arguably yes though on paper he lost to the two best fighters he faced. The Teofimo Lopez loss was not controversial and he was upset by the young upstart. The Devin Haney loss was very controversial though I agreed with the decision. Either way Lomachenko is 8-2 at the weight though he lacks a great signature win in the division. Other fighters have had better victories but less longevity. Tank Davis has had the longevity but not the big fights. Lomachenko prime for prime head to head could very well beat all of the fighters who competed in the division during his time there. However, for one reason or another it did not play out that way in reality.
Tyson Fury will return to face Anthony Joshua this year? I cannot say for certain it happens this year but I think they will fight. It is still a lucrative match up with a rivalry and some historic significance for British boxing. I don’t think Fury is retired permanently and Joshua’s loss to Daniel Dubois took him out of the title picture.
Manny Pacquiao will defeat Mario Barrios? While I don’t think very highly of Barrios and felt he lost his last fight he should win. Manny looks good in well crafted training sequences but I don’t think he will look the same when pressure tested. Old fighters chasing the money rarely workout well. Given his recent induction to the hall of Fame and political career its hard to believe he will conjure up that hunger that he had when he was arguably the best fighter in the world. I would be surprised if he defeated Barrios but not shocked given how lightly I rank Barrios.
Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney will fight? I think so, they are both too good, similar in age and at the same weight with championship pedigrees. Haney seems more keen on the fight than Lopez though I think Lopez is in the better position as far as marketability and options. I would be completely shocked if this fight never comes together .
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