Brian Norman Jr.'s problematic hands proved to be in peak condition earlier this month, as the WBO welterweight champion defended his title with a third-round stoppage win against Derrieck Cuevas.

Norman (27-0, 21 KOs) has had three surgeries on his hands since 2020 – two on his left and the other on his right. But his confidence is back on track after another blowout win nearly five months after his most recent hand procedure.

"I got my hands back now. That's all we needed. And now I’m comfortable, so now I’m ready to take over the whole world," Norman told The Ring in an interview.

"I didn't break a sweat in the Cuevas fight, but I did in the locker room, and that's all that matters. I got my work in and did what I was supposed to do. I caught my rhythm, I caught my timing, and I caught his head.

"He felt my power and said, 'I don't feel like dealing with this today.' He felt the power and my will to win. You also can't unsee my Giovanni Santillan fight. He knew that as the rounds went on, I was only going to get stronger, and not worse. He made a business decision not to go back in there."

Norman needed to land just 30 punches inside nine minutes to dispose of Cuevas.

The 24-year-old Norman, nicknamed The Assassin, looked like a hired gun in May, mauling Santillan with a vicious 10th-round knockout to claim the WBO’s interim title. The Georgia bred boxer was elevated to the full title once Terence Crawford moved on to 154 pounds in August.

“I already had the confidence [before the Santillan fight]. It's now the ability to do what I need to do that I wasn't able to do due to the hand injuries,” said Norman.

“That fight [against Santillan] did boost my head, not because of beating him, but beating him with a deficit with my hand injuries. I became a champion not being a thousand percent on point, and now we are going to see how far I can take it.

“All I care about is staying active. I just need to stay in the ring. That's all that I need. I'm going to have big fights being the champion.”