Brian Norman Jr. impresses under Shields

Former world champion Brian Norman Jr. looked impressive this past Saturday night in his first outing with new trainer Ronnie Shields.

The former WBO welterweight champion returned on the Keyshawn Davis-Nahir Albright undercard at Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

It was his first fight back since 3-division champ Devin Haney took his WBO, 147-pound crown by UD 12 on November 22 on “The Ring IV: Night of The Champions” undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Norman (29-1, 23 KOs) stopped Canada’s Josh Wagner by TKO 2 after dropping him twice.

Wagner (19-3, 10 KOs), of Orangeville, Ontario (about an hour NW of Toronto) complained about a shoulder injury after going down for the 2nd time, prompting the ringside physician to stop the fight.

While the disparity in levels revealed itself early in the fight, what was also apparent was Norman’s improvements under renowned Texas-based trainer Ronnie Shields.

Shields had Georgia’s Norman down to his gym in Texas to make some adjustments to his game; under Shields, the improvements were noticeable.

While Norman Jr. always had power, it was other parts that needed some fine-tuning when the power wasn’t getting an opponent out of there.

Under Shields, Norman showed patience, reliance on his fundamentals, and a more disciplined approach behind a strong jab.

In a post-fight interview, Norman expressed just that.

“He (Wagner) came out playing and all that. I came out trying to take his head off and I said, ‘Nah, let me chill, get back on my jab, my fundamentals’. ... But I still got the job done”, he said.

What’s next for Norman? He’s not sure, but whatever it is, he’ll be ready.

“I’ve learned a lot with Ronnie Shields. I’m calmer and cool. And this ring is my home now. I don’t what’s next, but whatever it is I’ll handle business”.