Andrew Moloney Scores Mandatory IBF SuperFly Title Shot In 2026

Former WBA super flyweight champion Andrew Moloney (27-4, 17 KOs) is heading into 2026 with an IBF (International Boxing Federation) world title opportunity.

FightsATW has received a letter sent by the IBF’s President Daryl J. Peoples, which approved the exemption request by IBF super flyweight champion Wilibaldo Garcia, who is scheduled to face former unified flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji on December 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, establishing the path for Moloney’s title opportunity. Excerpt from the letter is as follows:

“…determined that Wilibaldo Garcia Perez’s Exception request should be granted with the following conditions:

1. The Wilibaldo Garcia vs. Kenshiro Teraji bout must take place on or before December 27, 2025.
2. The winner of the Wilibaldo Garcia vs. Kenshiro Teraji shall make a mandatory defense of the IBF Jr. Bantamweight title within one hundred eighty (180) days after December 27, 2025, or by June 25, 2026.
3. The IBF will not consider any further delays, including Unification bouts. Of the IBF Jr. Bantamweight mandatory defense against #3 ranked Jr. Bantamweight contender Andrew Moloney.
4. Wilibaldo Garcia and Kenshiro Teraji must agree in writing to these conditions prior to the IBF granting formal sanction for this bout.”

This is massive news for the 34-year-old Moloney, who has been unsuccessful in winning a world title since losing his WBA strap against Joshua Franco in 2021. Now he has to decide to either wait it out, which could put him out as much as 18 months from his last fight, or he can take an interim fight, which is always a risk when you have a big title opportunity on the horizon.

FightsATW will monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

See author's posts