Brian Norman Jr Defies The Odds & Wins Big In San Diego

Brian Norman Jr (26-0, 20 KOs) came to San Diego a fighter who hadn’t lived up to the fans’ expectations but left the Pechanga Arena an Interim WBO welterweight champion. He put it all together when it counted the most and stopped Giovanni Santillan (32-1, 17 KOs) in the tenth round of their fight on Saturday night.

Going back to Thursday’s press conference, Norman’s face had a look of confidence that was hard to avoid. Even though he was the betting underdog, Norman accepted it and came into the fight week with the mentality that he would pull the upset. “We’re in his hometown. Everything is against me in this fight,” said Norman. “But once again, this is where I shine the best. I thrive off of negativity. I love this opportunity. I love this moment. I’m 23 years old. He’s pretty much ten years older than me, so I’m supposed to be the baby in this situation, but best believe, we’re coming to throw down.”

Norman took that chip on his shoulder into the ring on Saturday night and gave it all he had from the opening bell. The fight was for the interim WBO welterweight title, but in all reality, this was potentially for the full title since Terence Crawford is expected to vacate it after his fight on August 3 in L.A. Knowing this, both men started off the fight quickly, and the large crowd inside the Pechanga Arena were all for it.

Although Santillan was winning the battle early on, Norman was winning the war. He was punching with Santillan during most of their exchanges. Instead of going for the head, Norman kept landing on Santillan’s chest and abdomen, which was smart as it would eventually slow Santillan down later in the fight. Norman would open up cuts on Santillan’s left and right eye, and before no time, he was a bloody mess. Even with that, Santillan showed tremendous heart and determination as he kept coming forward and throwing everything he had.

Norman stayed composed and, during clinches, would look over to his corner to see what they wanted him to do next. They played a critical role in this fight and helped Norman get over the hump that he desperately needed to get over. Norman knew he wasn’t the one that was supposed to win and he used that to fuel his motivation every time he was hit with a big shot. After Norman broke down Santillan’s body, those arms came down, and he started to target his head with uppercuts and straight right hands.

Although there were a lot of moments when they went toe-to-toe, you could see that a piece of Santillan was left in his corner after each round. Norman was breaking him down until Santillan’s body couldn’t take it anymore. That moment came in the tenth round when Norman landed a crushing right uppercut that dropped Santillan to one knee. His body finally gave up on him, but he got up, and when he did, Norman jumped on Santillan and finished him with a savage left uppercut that sent Santillan down and out. The referee stopped the fight when he saw Santillan heading to the canvas. Norman finally got the big win he was searching for while putting together the performance of a lifetime.

What’s Next For Brian Norman Jr.?

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There aren’t too many names in the welterweight division for Norman aside from the other champions like Mario Barrios (Interim WBC), Eimantas Stannionis (WBA) & Jaron Ennis (IBF). Obviously, Terence Crawford is still the recognized champion but the thought is he will vacate his titles in the coming months. One name that could be a possibility is Teofimo Lopez. He is the WBO super junior welterweight champion and could request an immediate title shot against Norman at any point with that status. Lopez is supposed to fight at the end of June but don’t be surprised if he gets the fight with Norman right after.

For now, Norman will enjoy his victory back home in Atlanta, GA, as it is well deserved. He defied the odds and became an interim world champion on a night he was written off before stepping into the ring.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

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