It was beyond difficult for Jason Moloney to watch from ringside as his twin brother lost his world title Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
The bantamweight contender’s own important bout was less than 48 hours away in the same ring, yet those were emotional moments for the man who knows Andrew Moloney better than anyone. Jason Moloney knows how heartbreaking it is to lose a world title fight, which made him feel for his brother even more.
Joshua Franco upset Andrew Moloney by unanimous decision in their 12-round, 115-pound championship match and took the WBA world super flyweight title from him at MGM Grand Conference Center. Franco’s win wrecked the start of what was supposed to be a huge week for the Australian twins in the United States.
“It was very tough to watch,” Jason Moloney told BoxingScene.com. “Obviously, I know how hard he has worked to get to where he is right now and to win that world title. It just wasn’t him in there [Tuesday] night. I don’t know what went wrong, but he’ll be back. I’m sure he’ll learn a lot from that defeat. He hasn’t shown anywhere near what he’s capable of. He’s got a lot more left in him, and I’m sure he’ll make the adjustments and come back even stronger. I know he can become world champion again.”
A right hand by San Antonio’s Franco opened a cut over Andrew Moloney’s left eye in the 10th round. Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) remained in control during the second half of their bout, scored a knockdown early in the 11th round and won by scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113.
Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) was treated at a local hospital for two perforated eardrums. He has since been released, and likely will sit ringside for his brother’s bout Thursday night against Mexico’s Leonardo Baez.
The 10-round bantamweight battle between Jason Moloney (20-1, 17 KOs) and Baez (18-2, 9 KOs, 1 NC) is the main event of an ESPN broadcast slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The 24-year-old Baez replaced Colombia’s Oscar Negrete (19-2-2, 7 KOs) on short notice because Negrete suffered an eye injury while training.
“It was obviously very hard for me to watch,” Jason Moloney said. “I’m trying to reserve my energy. I’ve got a fight [Thursday night] myself, so I just have to sort of numb myself to the situation and stay focused on the task at hand because as hard as it is watching your brother [lose], I’ve got my own career to focus on and my own goals that I wanna achieve as well. So, I’ve sort of blocked that out and tried to stay as focused as I can on my fight.”
His brother’s first professional defeat has provided Jason Moloney with even more motivation in advance of the Baez bout. Jason Moloney is listed as a 9-1 favorite versus Baez, but he senses some boxing fans are dismissing the Moloneys now that his brother has been beaten by Franco.
“I’m already a really driven and motivated guy,” Jason Moloney said, “but I know people are writing us off now, and I’m here to prove what we can do. It gives me just even more hunger, even more desire to go out there and do what I came to do.”
The 29-year-old Moloney has won three straight fights, all by knockout, since Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez defeated him by split decision in their 12-round fight for the IBF bantamweight title a then-undefeated Rodriguez held in October 2018. Jason Moloney is ranked second by the WBO, third by the WBA and fourth by both the IBF and WBC at 118 pounds.
“Winning this fight will give me huge opportunities,” Jason Moloney said. “That’s why I’m extremely, extremely focused. I’ve been where Andrew’s been before. I’ve fought for a world title and lost. It’s heartbreaking, but I want this so bad and I’ve worked so hard to achieve this dream of becoming world champion. This fight [Thursday] night is a giant step in the right direction for me getting another shot at a world title. I believe I’m ready. Now it’s just about me going out there and showing the rest of the world that I’m ready.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.