Brian Norman Jr. (Hand) Injured, Forced To Postpone WBO Title Defense Against Derrieck Cuevas
The show will continue even without its main title fight.
A ring confirmed that Brian Norman Jr. will no longer appear in the Nov program. 8 ESPN at The Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. A hand injury during training forced the undefeated WBO welterweight to pull out of his defense against Derrieck Cuevas.
Norman-Cuevas should have headlined the game. Dan Rafael of Fight Freaks Unite first reported that the match would be pushed back to the first quarter of 2025.
The rest of the event—which The Ring has learned has sold out all of its first-round tickets—will go ahead. Locally-based Keyshawn Davis (11-0, 7 knockouts) will face Argentina’s Gustavo Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round lightweight bout. The first hometown story to claim a 2020 Olympic silver medal and The Ring’s No. 7-rated lightweight.
Norman (26-0, 20 KOs), The Ring’s No. 5-rated welterweight, he was recently promoted to full WBO title holder. He won the interim belt in the tenth round on May 18 from Giovani Santillan.
There were well-deserved exchanges between Norman and IBF titleholder Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs). It turns out more like shipping, or Ennis needed a better opponent. Ring’s No. 1-rated welterweight has been ordered to face mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian in a rematch of her knockout win on Jan. 2023.
Norman played as big a role as his team thought the undefeated Georgia native deserved. When Ennis and Matchroom Boxing couldn’t hit that number, Norman moved on to the bird already in hand—a spot on Davis’ undercard.
Now he will have to wait for his first title defense. The upcoming rescheduled event will also mark Cuevas’ first career title fight.
Top Rank officials could not comment on the development as the news was not official. However, The Ring has learned that a possible candidate for the new feature will appear among the scheduled list, provided that the right development can take place in the coming days.
Davis aims to restore the Norfolk boxing tradition that was established by Hall of Fame champion Pernell Whitaker in the 1980s and 1990s.
Whitaker played the Scope Arena ten times, including an August 1989 revenge victory over Jose Luis Ramirez to avenge his controversial first loss. His last fight was a rematch against James ‘Buddy’ McGirt to defend his lineal and WBC welterweight title on Oct. 1994.
Hall of Fame former Ring/lineal heavyweight champion Larry Holmes had the final fight of his illustrious career at the Scope Arena. It came in a July 2002 decision win over Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch.
Davis was dominant in a ten-round, unanimous decision over Miguel Madueno (31-3, 28 KOs) on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey. Ring’s No. 7-rated lightweight used to support longtime friend and three-division titleholder Shakur Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs).
Five months ago, he beat Jose Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs) by knockout. That beating came on Top Rank’s pre-Super Bowl card in Las Vegas.
‘The businessman’ is now the front runner as he races towards the lightweight title.
He will endure his toughest test so far, at least on paper.
Argentina’s Lemos (29-1, 19 KOs) was unlucky with his lone loss in his latest fight.
The 28-year-old Argentine handed Brooklyn’s Richardson Hitchins a unanimous decision in their April 6 DAZN co-main event in Las Vegas. Most of the viewers and those present felt that Lemos deserved to lose the IBF 140-pound belt.
Lemos will fight stateside for the second time in a row. His proposed fight against Davis would mark a return to lightweight.
