Brian Norman Jnr’s rise to a titleholder came with a defining punch – a brutal left uppercut that knocked out Giovani Santillan in the 10th round of their San Diego brawl earlier this year to claim the WBO welterweight title.
The punch, hailed as one of the most dramatic finishers of the year, carried him to the pinnacle, but it also came with an ironic twist: the very punch that crowned him champion sidelined him months later.
“Everything is marvelous now,” Norman told BoxingScene. “No problems at all. I’m back punching people in their face, putting holes in their face. I’ll say that. I’ve been fully back in the gym for two or three weeks now.”
The journey back, however, wasn’t as straightforward. The injury, stemming from his powerful knockout of Santillan initially seemed manageable, and not a big deal.
“It was the punch I knocked Giovani out with,” Norman said. “Of course, it did a lot of damage – could be knockout of the year – but it also hurt me.”
“I didn’t think it was that bad, so I kept training. Then I started sparring again, and one punch too hard, and things happened.”
Promoted by Top Rank, Norman underwent surgery and pushed himself to return, eager to defend his title. His overzealous approach, though, led to a setback, forcing him to withdraw from a scheduled November 8 co-main event bout against Derrieck Cuevas.
Jolene Mizzone, Norman’s manager, acknowledged his determination but noted the complications of recovery.
“He hurt his hand against Giovani, got surgery, and then reinjured it while training for the November 8 fight,” Mizzone told BoxingScene. “Some people might think, ‘He had surgery in July and pulled out of a November fight?’ But Brian being Brian, he wanted to punch something every day.”
Norman, who chuckled at Mizzone’s description, didn’t deny it.
“It’s fun, though,” Norman said. “I just won a world title. I knew the next fight would be even bigger, and everybody’s watching now. Jolene told me Pernell Whitaker said it’s easier to win the belt than to defend it. I wanted to be a million times better for my next fight. But taking time off? It felt like other people were training and catching up to me.”
With his hand fully healed, Norman, the undefeated titleholder from Conyers, Georgia and 26-0 (20 KOs), is ready to move forward. Now, he’s focused on proving the next chapter of his career will surpass the last.
“I want to make sure in my next fight, I’m nowhere near the same fighter I was in the last fight,” Norman said. “I want to be a million times better.”
