Not only does Jason Moloney serve as an integral part of a stacked bantamweight division, but with plenty of options well within reach through his promotional affiliation.

The 29-year old contender from Australia is prepared to make a statement on Thursday evening, as he faces Mexicali’s Leonardo Baez in a scheduled 10-round battle. The bout headlines a six-fight card live on ESPN (8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT) from MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas, a town where Moloney and his twin brother Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14KOs) have camped out for more than a month.

Also in town is reigning WBO bantamweight titlist John Riel Casimero (29-4, 20KOs), who has been stuck in Vegas ever since mid-March. The three-division champ from Ormoc City, Philippines arrived in town in hopes of a title unification showdown versus Japan’s Naoya Inoue (19-0, 16KOs), only for the bout to be postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and Casimero forced to remain in town for the same reason and biding his time by training non-stop for whenever he’s rescheduled to step in the ring.

“I’m glad he’s been able to occupy himself, and who knows maybe our paths will cross one day,” Moloney (20-1, 17KOs) told BoxingScene.com. “But when we were told about fighting in the United States, (Casimero’s) name wasn’t mentioned so I never really paid attention to what he is doing while in Las Vegas.

“With the coronavirus and everything else going on, I never really had plans to go knock on his door and ask.”

Moloney—who along with Andrew signed with Top Rank last spring—would rather speak through his actions in the ring, with all of his focus squarely on Thursday’s main event. His journey halfway around the world began with mentally and physically preparing for a clash with Colombia’s Oscar Negrete, who was forced to withdraw due to an eye injury.

Negrete was quickly replaced with Baez (19-2-2, 7KOs), who comes armed with a six-fight win streak. Included among the lot are upset victories over previously unbeaten Alberto Melian and former title challenger Moises ‘Chucky’ Flores as part of his 2019 campaign.

Moloney already witnessed firsthand the power of anything happening on any given night, watching Andrew suffer his first loss and the end of his secondary title reign in this very venue just two nights ago. The desire to restore glory in the family name fuels his motivation heading into Thursday’s contest, while also the realization that none of the big fights at bantamweight are in reach without clearing out present day business.

“A big fight is always in the back of my mind, but I’m always more focused on my current fight,” insists Moloney, who has won three straight since a narrow defeat to then-unbeaten 118-pound titlist Emmanuel Rodriguez in October 2018. “I’m focused on beating Baez and doing whatever it takes to win that fight.

“Obviously, once things settle and I come away with the victory then we can talk about our next moves, whether Casimero, (unbeaten unified titlist and pound-for-pound entrant) Naoya Inoue or anyone else at this weight. My team has discussed those options and have left the door open. Big fights are there but I have to win this one first and foremost, which is my only goal right now—win this fight, and make a statement that I’m ready to once again compete at the world title level.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox