Brian Norman Jr.’s father, Brian Sr., claims he has not received a response from Matchroom since they were first offered a fight with IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Brian Norman Sr. Claims There’s Radio Silence at Matchroom
Norman Sr. says he saw a message from promoter Eddie Hearn asking them to respond if they wanted the Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) fight, but has not heard back since he contacted them again. He says he was surprised Matchroom’s lawyers were not unaware he had sent a counter-offer, as Hearn had said they had rejected two offers. Norman Sr. says that did not happen.
Some believe Hearn does not want Boots to fight the threatening WBO welterweight champion Norman Jr. (26-0, 20 KOs) because he has decided he wants to set up a rematch with the lightly-punched IBF champion, who is mandatory Karen Chukhadjian next which is a much easier fight with minimal risk.
This match would not escalate Boots Ennis’ star power in the States and would not assist him achieve his goal of becoming undisputed. However, it is protected. Boots is now 27 years senior and cannot afford to waste time taking years off his career trying to unify the welterweight division if he is having trouble negotiating.
Confusion and disinformation
“I want to give you an update on the Boots fight situation from our end. I try to be as crystal clear as possible with Boots & Bozy and his team. I reached out to him after Eddie Hearn did his interview yesterday,” Brian Norman Sr. told Fighthype YouTube channel, talking about his efforts to facilitate a fight between his son, Norman Jr., and IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis.
“We immediately contacted Matchroom’s lawyers, the ones who sent the offer, and said, ‘What do you mean we’ve rejected two offers?’ Matchroom’s lawyers came back and said, ‘Oh, we didn’t know you’d sent a counter-offer,’ which I find strenuous to believe because how can you say we rejected anything when you’ve never even looked at the response to your offer?”
Matchroom seems to be in a bit of a ruckus over the Ennis/Norman negotiations. Are they overwhelmed or do they just not want to fight Norman? If they prefer Boots to have a rematch with Karen, it makes sense that they would freeze talks with Norman.
Is Matchroom avoiding a fight?
“The first offer was ridiculous, but the second one was close. We could work on that a little bit. Anyway, we asked, ‘Was that your final offer?’ There’s been no response since then. Eddie Hearn told Brian Norman, me and my son said to get in touch with him soon so we could do it,” Brian Sr. said.
What Norman Jr. is saying doesn’t sound right. If this is going to be the norm for all of Boots Ennis’ negotiations as they try to unify the welterweight division, he should move down to 154 and give up his goal. He doesn’t need to sit around or waste time fighting guys like Karen or David Avanesyan.
“That’s exactly what we did. It’s been seven days since the first contract was sent out,” Norman Sr. said. “I know they work Saturdays. I know they’re ready to work Saturdays. Now it’s 4 o’clock next Saturday and we’re waiting to see what happens.”
“Again, with all due respect to Team Ennis, we’re all for it. We have nothing but love for it. We hope people don’t think that [stuff] “He was rah-rah with them. None of that. We want smoke in the ring. It has nothing to do with it being personal. Bozy didn’t turn down the fight; let me get this straight. Boots didn’t turn down the fight,” Norman Sr. said.
If Hearn doesn’t want Boots to fight Norman, then it makes sense that talks have been put on hold. A rematch with Karen or anyone else Hearn has that he wants Boots to fight is a lot easier – maybe one of Hearn’s British fighters like Conor Benn.
Norman Sr. remains hopeful
“I don’t think anyone is lying. I just think it’s a bunch of misinformation, but at this point it looks like it is [nonsense] “we were circling because we clearly reached out and said, ‘What’s your final offer?’ It was 24 hours. Nobody said a word,” Norman Sr. said.
“So if you can respond and say you didn’t know we sent an offer. Then we asked you, ‘What’s your counteroffer?’ And we say, ‘What’s your final offer?’ You don’t say anything. That sounds suspicious. So I reached out to Bozy to let him know what was going on.
“I think he’s going to do what he needs to do and we’re going to do what we need to do to give the fans the best fight they can see at 147,” Norman Sr. said.
The gold rush will continue in 2025 for the Eye of the Tiger and its athletes. To start the year off right, Olympian and NABF Super Lightweight Champion Arthur “The Wolf” Biyarslanov will face the biggest test of his career against French fighter Mohamed “The Problem” Mimoune on February 6 at the Cabaret of the Montreal Casino.
The event will also be broadcast – starting at 6:30 p.m. – on Punchinggrace.com and ESPN+.
“I repeat, Arthur will not reject any opponent! Mimoune is a brave boxer who never backs down from a challenge. He is an athletic southerner whose boxing style is based on speed and reflexes. This is a very good challenge for Arthur, but we expect that 2025 will be an significant year for him and he will have to start powerful,” commented EOTTM’s coach, Samuel Décarie-Drolet.
Arthur Biyarslanov (17-0, 14 KO) had a spectacular debut in EOTTM in 2024. After his first victory in March, the Rio Olympian won the NABF super lightweight title in June. In September and October, he successfully defended his title for the first and second time, reaching the top twenty of the WBC world rankings.
For Mohamed Mimoune (24-6, 5 KO) this will be an excellent opportunity to return to the top. A former IBO world champion, he also won the French and European championships. In fact, 5 of his 24 wins came against undefeated boxers, including several away from home, whether in the UK, Spain or the US. Always competitive, he was never stopped, even against elite boxers such as former world champion Viktor Postol and former EOTTM protégé Batyr Jukembayev. In brief, this is a tough challenge that Biyarslanov must overcome in order to rise to the top.
In every sense of the word, the second main event will feature an impressive matchup. In the fight presented in cooperation with Top Rank, two-time Olympic super heavyweight champion Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0, 14 KO) will enter the ring for the first time since his triumph at the Olympic Games in Paris. His opponent will be French champion David Spilmont (16-8-1, 11 KO).
“I am very excited about the next chapter in my professional career. Now that I have represented my country at the 2024 Olympics, I plan to continue my quest to become heavyweight champion in 2025. And for me, this adventure will resume on February 6 in Montreal,” commented Bakhodir Jalolov, two-time gold medalist from Uzbekistan.
There will be another high-profile fight on the card. WBA international delicate heavyweight champion Albert Ramirez (19-0, 16 KO) will return to Quebec against an opponent to be announced soon. Let us recall that in August last year, the EOTTM protégé crushed former world title contender Adam Deines in Venezuela. After this triumph, Ramirez is one step away from fighting for the world title, which is 4th in the IBF rankings, 3rd in the WBC and 2nd in the WBA and WBO rankings.
“We have high hopes for Biyarslanov and Ramirez in 2025. In my opinion, they are maybe one or two wins away from the biggest fights. In February, we plan to start the year well to finish it on top,” said EOTTM president Camille Estephan, emphasizing that many of his boxers were ready for a higher level of opposition in 2025.
EOTTM’s rising stars will also fight on February 6, with Avery Martin Duval (12-0-1, 7 KO), Wilkens Mathieu (12-0, 8 KO) and Moreno Fendero (8-0, 6 KO) taking part in the scheduled 8 -round fights.
Tickets for the Gold Rush event on February 6 at the Cabaret of the Montreal Casino are on sale now at Ticketmaster.ca.
This past Saturday at The Paramount, Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing Rockin’ Fights 49 provided an action-packed and hard-fought night of fights.
The sold-out show was filled with fans and non-stop invigorating boxing. Star Boxing has once again continued its practice of delivering the best and most consistent boxing series in Modern York, and fans of #49 are already lining up for tickets to Rockin’ Fights 50 in 2025.
RESULTS:
Wendy “The Haitian Fire” Touissant (currently 16-3-0, 7 KOs) returned to winning ways and did not disappoint in her return to The Paramount on Saturday night. Touissant, a Huntington hometown favorite, continued to display the talent and athleticism that make him an intriguing up-and-coming contender in the boxing world. Touissant maintained his balance throughout the distance, relying on his patient game plan to deal with capable Argentine challenger Brian “El Capitan” Arregui (currently 10-5-0, 7 KOs). Touissant’s training paid off as he was able to secure a majority decision victory. The results were: 80-72 – Tony Paolillo; 79-73 by Steve Weisfeld and a shocking 76-76 by Kevin Morgan.
In a special fight, 22-year-old Italian-American prospect and Star Boxing’s newest fighter, Micky Scala (currently 11-0-0 6 KOs), showed talent and tenacity, remaining undefeated in his Rockin’ Fights debut. During the competition, Scala relied on his reach and quick combinations to score points throughout the fight, ultimately earning a unanimous decision victory (60-54, 59-55, 60-54) over Luis “Conrazon De Oro” Caraballo Ramos of Puerto Rico. (currently 7-6-1 7 KOs).
David “King David” Malul (currently 2-0, 2KO) once again excited and mesmerized The Paramount crowd in his second professional fight. Malul gave the raucous crowd another unforgettable moment when he uncorked three devastatingly powerful punches to the head of his opponent, Zachary “Mr. Sippi Babi” Davis by knockout in the third round.
After a hard-fought and close fight, Harley “Ponderous Hands” Burke (currently 9-0-0, 7 KO) defeated Tevin Terrance in a very close unanimous decision (58-55, 58-55, 57-56). they remain undefeated. After knocking Burke down early in the first round with Terrance’s acclaimed left hook, Burke settled in and the rest of the fight was an invigorating and close contest. Both combatants traded blows throughout the fight and neither seemed to gain the advantage. Ultimately, the judges ruled in Burke’s favor, keeping the Irishman’s perfect record intact.
Albanian pride soared when John “The Warrior” Gjini (now 13-0-0, 12 KO) dissected his opponent, Luis Porozo (now 18-12-0, 9 KO), with a dominant TKO victory. Porozo entered the fight as a much more experienced fighter, having had 29 career fights to Gjini’s 12. Porozo won the first round, but then it was Gjini as his quick hands and speed broke the tough Ecuadorian. Gjini secured a fourth-round referee stoppage and TKO victory.
The first fight on the card was a close contest between Long Island native Frank “Magic” Monaco (currently 2-0-1) and Victor “El Patron” Pradis (currently 2-2-1). The fight started in the evening with a good fight. Monaco and Pradis fought in close quarters, with neither player giving the other much room to breathe. Pradis seemed determined to attack Monaco’s body throughout the fight, while Monaco remained on alert, waiting for his opportunities. In the final drawing decision, the judges awarded the match a draw (38-38, 39-37, 37-39).
Fans can watch the entire fight card on-demand on StarBoxing.TV. Additionally, the show will air on the YES Network on dates to be announced by Star Boxing later this week.
Next Event: February 14, Rockin’ Fights 50, The Paramount NY in Huntington, Modern York
In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
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