Brian Norman offers Conor Benn WBO welterweight world title fight in the UK: 'I need that energy!'
Brian Norman scored a devastating knockout when he stopped Jin Sasaki in Japan to defend the WBO welterweight world championship; Norman throws down the gauntlet to Conor Benn and says he will travel to the UK to box the Briton; He also welcomes Manny Pacquiao's return to the division
Friday 27 June 2025 16:31, UK
World champion Brian Norman has welcomed Manny Pacquiao back to the welterweight division, and offered to fight Conor Benn in the UK.
Norman, the holder of the WBO's 147lb belt, is coming off a breakthrough win when he travelled to Japan and delivered a spectacular knockout to halt Jin Sasaki in five rounds last week.
The American emphasised his willingness to travel anywhere to take on any opponent.
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"World champion. I don't care where we're at, when we step into the four corners, welcome to my city," he told Sky Sports.
"I thought you knew me by now. I don't mind where we go."
He does consider Benn, who lost to Chris Eubank Jr at middleweight in April, capable of becoming a world-class welterweight and would give him a shot at the WBO title.
"I'm pretty sure if he comes down to 147lbs he can make some noise and I'll gladly fight him out there in the UK," Norman said.
Fighting in Britain in particular does appeal to him.
"[The crowd in Japan was] very, very polite. Very quiet. It was like a sparring session at first," he said.
"It was definitely an experience out there, where now I want to go to the UK and witness the opposite. Just the crowd going crazy the whole time. I want to see how that is.
"I need that energy," he added. "I'd actually prefer it over in the UK. I love the fanbase over there."
Norman will have a keen eye on the Mario Barrios vs Pacquiao WBC title fight.
Pacquiao is 46 years old and has been out of action since 2021. His last fight was a clear defeat to Yordenis Ugas and he hasn't won since beating Keith Thurman in 2019.
But Norman did not object to the Hall of Famer being granted an immediate world title shot in his comeback fight.
"Who would you want him to fight to earn a belt, to earn that title shot? I'll still be real regarding that. The Errol Spences, the Crawfords, the Keith Thurmans, the Shawn Porters, since all those guys left, now the welterweight division is just trying to make a name for themselves. There's plenty of great fighters but we just don't have the notoriety that we once had before," Norman said.
"Who would you have wanted Manny Pacquiao to fight? He already did more than all of us combined at this weight division so far. I feel like he's earned it."
Norman added: "You've got one belt right there so whoever wins I would gladly face them next."
