The first title fight in boxing’s first post-pandemic era resulted in a familiar trend for Golden Boy Promotions.
Joshua Franco became the latest boxer from the California-based company to bring him a major title, claiming the WBA “Regular” 115-pound strap after outpointing Australia’s Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14KOs) over 12 rounds Tuesday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. The San Antonio native had to rally on the closer-than-expected scorecards, but an 11th round knockdown was enough to seal the victory in the ESPN televised main event.
“[Tuesday night], the first world title fight since the COVID-19 pandemic began took place, and a Golden Boy fighter stepped up to the challenge, entered enemy territory and dominated,” Oscar De La Hoya, founder, chairman and CEO of Golden Boy told BoxingScene.com.
Franco (17-1-2, 8KOs) becomes the third straight boxer from the Golden Boy family to win a title as the B-side on another promoter’s show. He follows in the footsteps of Joseph Diaz—whom outpointed Tevin Farmer to win the IBF 135-pound title on a Matchroom Boxing show in Miami this past January—and Brazil’s Patrick Teixeira, who also traveled to Las Vegas for a Top Rank card where he outlasted Carlos Adames to win the WBO 154-pound belt last November.
On a personal level, he becomes the latest home-grown product to hit paydirt. His rise to contention came through fighting on Golden Boy’s LA Fight Club developmental series and on the undercard of events streamed live on DAZN before entering Tuesday’s title challenge.
“Franco’s victory is special for us as he was part of an impressive group of young fighters that we signed back in 2015 as we were rebuilding our stable,” de la Hoya fondly recalls. “Five years later, our mutual hard work has paid off.
“From debuting on our LA Fight Club Series to headlining on national television, Franco has developed into a world champion.”
Franco is now unbeaten in his last six starts following a stoppage loss in 2018. As a secondary titlist, his goal is to next enter a title consolidation clash with legendary four-division and reigning WBA “Super” 115-pound champion Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
