Australia's Jason Moloney (left) got his bearings but lost his WBO bantamweight title to Yoshiki Takei by unanimous decision. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images)
Former bantamweight champion Jason Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs) plans to return to Japan in his bid to reclaim one of the four major bantamweight titles.
Earlier this year, Moloney had the opportunity to defend his WBO belt for the second time against George Kambosos Jr. against Vasiliy Lomachenko's undercard in Perth, but instead chose to go abroad to build his brand in the lucrative Japanese market.
Moloney traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun in May to face boxer-turned-boxer Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) at the Tokyo Dome on the undercard of Naoya Inoue's junior featherweight title defense against Luis Nery.
The relatively inexperienced Takei had won his previous eight fights by knockout and it was widely believed that his strength was his biggest asset. But the Yokohama southpaw showed he has good skills too, boxing out an impressive title fight from the Australian by unanimous decision scores of 116-111 (Ellis Johnson), 117-110 (Lou Moret) and 116-111 (Benoit Roussel). . ).
“I've got good support there, but there's no doubt that Takei is their man,” Moloney said Beyond the Wires of 7plus.
“They blew the roof off the joint and it was amazing. Since I was there and just going out, there were people you might see. There were 55,000 people. It was a difficult thing to understand. To fight in front of that kind of crowd was unbelievable. Obviously it wasn't the result I wanted, but it was the moment you dream of.
“That's why you work hard and dedicate yourself to this game; it belongs to those kinds of possibilities. It is something I will never forget. Unfortunately, I didn't get the result I wanted, and I hope to get the chance to right that wrong one day.
“You are crazy about this game. One minute you've got the world title, and the next, it's your choice. Do you want to fight in Australia on the Kambosos-Lomachenko undercard, or do you want to go over to Japan and fight in the Tokyo Dome in front of 55,000 people?
“There are always amazing opportunities thrown at you, but after one loss, no one wants to know.”
Moloney has been one of the most consistent performers in Australian boxing over the past decade. He dropped his first world title to IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez by split decision in Orlando, Florida, in October 2018 before winning four fights in the tournament, all of them by distance, to claim the title from Inoue two years later. In a valiant effort, he went seven rounds against the Japanese sensation before rebuilding to put himself in a position for a shot at the vacant WBO title against Filipino Vincent Astrolabio in Stockton, California, in May last year.
Moloney wrestled a brilliant fight with Astrolabio to win a majority decision before going on to regain his first title against Saul Sanchez in Quebec City, Canada, in January.
California slugger Sanchez played out of his skin on the night, showing better boxing skills than in previous fights to take the fight to the wire. Moloney got the nod by majority decision, but both boxers won a lot of fans for their big effort.
Now 33, Moloney knows the clock is ticking on his career. And all roads lead back to Japan.
“My division is dominated in Japan right now,” said The Ring's No. 1 contender. 6 ranked at 118 pounds. “All four world champions are Japanese, that's why I have to be there. I need to get back there and get a shot at one of the title holders in Japan.
“If it was up to me and I could choose, I would be very happy to fight Takuma Inoue. He is the WBA world champion. There's obviously a bit of history there, as I've fought his brother. I see that fight as a very good fight for me, stylistically. I think I can beat him, sure. I just need a chance.
“Whether I need to get another win and move up in the WBA rankings before I push for a fight with him, we'll wait and see. I have a little name out there now, so maybe that will entice him to bring me in as voluntary protection.
“But if I had to pick one fight, Takuma Inoue is at the top of my hit list.”
The bantamweight division is as stacked as any in boxing right now, with exciting new faces claiming one of the four major belts in the last 16 months. Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) is the longest reigning title holder after claiming the vacant WBA belt against veteran Liborio Solis (37-7-1, 18 KOs) on points in April last year. Next up is former WBO flyweight and junior bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs), who moved up in weight to claim the WBC belt defeating Alexandro Santiago (28-4-5, 14 KOs) by TKO of the sixth round of February. Then there's Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO) who captured the IBF belt by defeating Rodriguez (22-3, 13 KOs) on points on May 4. Takei is a new title contender, as his win over Moloney will take place in May. 6.
All but Inoue are southpaws.
When asked to pick the best of the group, Moloney hesitated but ended up choosing Nakatani, who won a 12th-round knockout of Jason's twin brother, Andrew, at 115 pounds.
“Maybe they're getting elected right now,” Moloney said. “We really need to see champions fighting champions. That's what everyone wants to see. Obviously I want to jump in there and grab one of them before that happens. But I think Nakatani is probably the biggest name in the division right now.
“I think stylistically, he's probably the toughest fighter in the division, but he's still someone I'd like to go in and fight. But we will have to wait and see.
“There are rumors that Nakatani may fight [Takuma] Inoue, so they're going to start looking at combining and combining titles, but I want to get in there and get a shot at Inoue first.
“Obviously I would like a rematch with Takei. That wasn't my best performance and I believe I can beat him, so I'd like another crack at him. Inoue, you are outstanding for me. If I could choose, that's what I would want.”
But for Moloney, boxing is much more than titles and leather. It's about moments he will cherish for the rest of his life.
“For me, I want to do as much as I can with this sport,” he said. “I gave my life to this sport, so all you want is great opportunities and fun nights and unforgettable moments that you can tell your children and grandchildren about in the history books.”
Australian-based boxing journalist Anthony Cocks has been covering the sport for over 20 years for various publications and online publications. Follow him to X.
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