LAS VEGAS – If you’re tired of hearing or reading about Brian Norman Jr.’s hand issues, imagine if you were him.

The unbeaten WBO welterweight champion is convinced hand injuries have prohibited him from reaching his potential over the past several years. He has had three surgeries – two on his left hand and one on his right hand – since 2020.

The Conyers, Georgia native’s most recent procedure in October caused a 4½-month postponement of his first defense of the WBO belt he won when he knocked out Giovani Santillan last May 18 in San Diego. Norman is sure this second surgery on his left hand corrected his problem much more than the first operation on it four years earlier.

The 24-year-old Norman cannot wait to show unconvinced boxing fans Saturday night how much more complete of a fighter he’ll be with full use of both of his hands. Norman (26-0, 20 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBO belt against Puerto Rico’s Derrieck Cuevas (27-1-1, 19 KOs) in the 12-round co-feature before Las Vegas-based WBO women’s welterweight champ Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KOs) and England’s Sandy Ryan (7-2-1, 3 KOs) square off in their immediate rematch at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

“It’s perfect right now,” Norman told The Ring. “No complaints at all. I’m not holding back physically or mentally. And that was the biggest thing. Mentally, I was kinda scared to, real deal, go out and give it my all because if it was gonna turn into a war, I’m at a deficit. So, now, I’m outta that mindset. I can go out there and go full blast.”

Norman admitted, though, that his left hand felt worse in previous appearances than when he went at it with Santillan (33-1, 18 KOs) in the then-unbeaten contender’s hometown of San Diego 10 months ago.

The hard-hitting Norman led on all three scorecards before he dropped Santillan twice in the 10th round. A vicious left uppercut by Norman knocked Santillan flat on his back and out at 1:33 of the 10th round, when referee Ray Corona stopped their 12-rounder at Pechanga Arena.

Bob Arum, Norman’s promoter, hoped to showcase the newly crowned champion on the Keyshawn Davis-Gustavo Lemos undercard November 8 at Scope Arena in Davis’ hometown of Norfolk, Virginia. He hurt his left hand in sparring again, which led to a second surgery to stabilize staples placed in it the first time.

Norman felt relieved when he regained full use of his left hand during sparring sessions.

“It was just slowly getting back into it,” Norman said. “Of course, at first when I started using it, I was [more cautious] than I was before the surgery. But after a while, I started turning my punches over all the way, and nothing happened. Boom! I just kept trying it more and more and more, getting it stronger. I started knocking people out again [in sparring] and I was hurting other people, instead of hurting myself. Like I said, it’s good now.”

ESPN’s telecast of the doubleheader topped by Mayer-Ryan II is slated to start at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT). Unbeaten, Brooklyn-bred featherweight contender Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington (14-0, 8 KOs) and Mexican veteran Enrique Vivas (23-3, 12 KOs) will headline undercard coverage that ESPN+ will begin streaming at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT).