Brian Norman Jr’s Team Opens Up On Jaron Ennis Negotiations

Brian Norman Jr.’s team has opened up on the negotiations for the potential fight against Jaron Ennis.

Jolene Mizzone, the manager of Norman Jr., says talks have been going back and forth for a potential bout against Ennis.

“We went back and forth and came to a number that made sense,” Mizzone said. “With my experience as a former promoter, I knew that Matchroom and Boots were in a tough spot. They had a mandatory defense against a fighter they’d already beaten, and to avoid that, they needed to fight someone like us, Eimantas Stanionis, or Mario Barrios. We realized we were in a strong position, so we didn’t overprice ourselves – we just asked for what was fair.”

Mizzone says the money didn’t make sense for Norman Jr., and says their job as a manager is to get the best deal for a client.

“As a manager, it’s our job to get the best deal for our fighter,” Mizzone said. “This would have been the highest payday Brian Norman has ever been offered, but that doesn’t mean he should take the fight for less than he’s worth… “People can say what they want, but there’s no ducking on Brian Norman’s part. As managers, we have to look out for our fighter’s best interests. Matchroom didn’t want to pay what we asked, which is fine, but we weren’t going to sell ourselves short.”

Brian Norman Jr. is 26-0 and 2 NCs as a pro and coming off a KO win over Giovanni Santillan to win the vacant WBO interim welterweight title. He doesn’t have his next fight booked and Mizzone says Norman Jr. didn’t duck anyone and didn’t overprice themselves.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t overprice ourselves. We priced ourselves based on what we believe ESPN and Top Rank have invested in Brian Norman. Going into someone else’s backyard comes with its own risks, and we just wanted to be compensated fairly for it. People can agree or disagree, but now look at what’s happened with their purse bid. We believe we made the right decision.”