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Add FightsATW on GoogleAndrew Moloney’s treacherous path to becoming a two-time world champion ended in tears of joy. The likable Aussie super flyweight was crowned IBF world champion last month in Tokoname, Japan, following a majority-decision victory over Willibaldo Garcia.
“After the fight, I knew it was close,” Moloney said in an exclusive interview with FightsATW. “I felt like I had won. I felt like I had done enough to win the fight, but I was certainly extremely nervous waiting for that decision. You never really know! They were speaking in Japanese, so I didn’t really know what they were saying. That 30 seconds felt like 30 minutes. I’ve never been so nervous in my whole life. The relief and happiness is a bit of a blur. I still get emotional watching it back.”
The scorecards couldn’t have been any closer. Two scores of 115-113 and one of 114-114 sealed the adulation.
“Obviously it was a lifetime’s worth of work that came down to that night,” Moloney continued to explain. “It actually came down to the last round too, which is pretty crazy to think back on. I was just so happy that I was able to get the job done. The corner told me that I thought I was winning, but it might be down to this last round. They told me that I need to win the last round to become world champion. It turns out they were right and read the fight perfectly.
“I’m just so happy that I was able to dig deep. And I had to really dig deep. My feet were on fire, covered in blisters, and I was obviously pretty exhausted at that stage. I knew that I needed to get back on my toes, move, and outbox this guy. I wouldn’t let him lay a glove on me in that last round. I was able to do that thanks to all the training and hard work over 20-odd years. It all paid off.”
Moloney (29-4, 18 KOs) found himself in a Mexican standoff after the IBF called a final eliminator against Argi Cortes. However, upon Moloney’s arrival in Mexico, Cortes’s promoter (Zanfer Boxing) kept moving the goalposts. An original July 19 date in Monterrey was moved to August 9 in Durango, then pushed back a week to August 16. Zanfer Boxing then moved the bout to Mexico City, over 500 miles away, with just five days’ notice. Another change prompted Moloney to fly back to Australia, leaving his world title aspirations looking bleak.
“I’ve had so much bad luck in my career that I started to wonder that this might be my story,” Moloney explained. “I worried I was going to be that bloke who was ripped off for a couple of world titles and should have been a world champion more than once, but I was too determined to make sure it wasn’t going to go that way. There were times I was losing hope, and there were times that I was thinking about hanging the gloves up, but I managed to stay focused on that goal. We got it done.”
The Mexican drama worked to the 35-year-old’s advantage. The IBF pushed Moloney into the position of mandatory challenger for Garcia’s belt. But once again, hurdles remained. Moloney was then offered a lucrative step-aside deal to leave the path open for Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez to face Garcia for the undisputed title. Moloney and his team stood their ground, forcing Garcia to defend his title against him.
“I was very happy that the fight was in Japan,” Moloney explained. “I know how honest and honourable they are. It’s probably the best place in the world to get fair judging. The fans seem to really like me out there and my brother Jason. The Japanese fans really get around us. I had about 25 people fly over from Australia to be there, and the crowds are quite reserved over there and are quiet during the fights. The Aussie fans knew how much it meant to me and wanted to see me win, so they were all very vocal throughout the fight.
“It also seemed that all the Japanese people had realized how much they wanted to win and they all started to get behind me as well. It ended up being quite a loud crowd that was all supporting me, and they were all really happy for me after I won. It’s a night I will never forget.”
With the Red and Gold belt proudly cemented to his waist on a nationwide tour of his homeland, Moloney’s focus moves forward to a first title defense. Rodriguez was his first callout, although the number one-ranked challenger by the IBF comes in the form of South Africa’s Sikho Nqothole.
“He will be my mandatory challenger when the time comes,” he explained. “I’m back in the gym now to stay prepared and keep improving to work hard and keep this belt. There is a target on my back now. The team is already having conversations about what is next. I can’t say too much about what is next, but there are some very exciting things in the works, and I’m hoping for an announcement soon.”
Moloney is currently a promotional free agent.
“The board is open,” he added. “We can take a look at all options on the table. I would say it is a good place to be. I’ve been to a few big shows here in Australia, but I probably don’t see a homecoming happening for now, if I’m honest. It doesn’t really make sense. The market for the lighter-weight divisions in Japan is the place to be. I would see myself fighting in Japan for the remainder of my career. If we could squeeze in an Australian fight somewhere in between, it would be great. But I see myself fighting in Japan for now.”
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