It was a show of respect from Norman, an American who appreciated the way he was treated throughout his stay in Sasaki’s home country. The Ring expressed its respect for Norman’s impressive performance by presenting him Friday night with its “Knockout of the Year” for 2025 at its second annual awards gala at Cipriani in New York.

Norman, 25, dropped Sasaki twice in the first round, but it was his sweeping left hook that knocked Sasaki flat on his back, out cold, in the fifth.

Sasaki remained still for a few minutes. He was taken from the ring on a stretcher, but he fully recovered and is scheduled to return to the ring February 19 in Tokyo.

Norman (28-1, 22 KOs, 1 NC), of Conyers, Georgia, lost his WBO welterweight title to Devin Haney by unanimous decision in his following fight November 22 on “The Ring IV: Night of the Champions” card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nothing, however, could take away from his superb showing five months earlier in his first fight outside of the United States.

“He fought brilliantly,” Bob Arum, Norman’s promoter, told The Ring soon after his knockout of Sasaki. “I think he’s the king of the welterweights now. He has tremendous confidence. He’s a really good fighter. He understands ring generalship. He’s very composed and there’s no welterweight that hits as hard as he does.”

The other finalists (chronologically):