Jason Moloney plots return to Japan for another bantamweight title assault

Former bantamweight titleholder Jason Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs) is plotting a return to Japan in his bid to once again capture one of the four major sanctioning body titles.

Earlier this year, Moloney had the opportunity to make the second defense of his WBO strap on the George Kambosos Jr. versus Vasiliy Lomachenko undercard in Perth, but he instead opted to go abroad to build his brand in the lucrative Japanese market.

Moloney traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun in May to face kickboxer-turned-boxer Yoshiki Takei (9-0, 8 KOs) at the Tokyo Dome on the undercard of Naoya Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship defense against Luis Nery. 

The relatively inexperienced Takei had won all eight of his previous bouts via knockout and it was widely thought that his power was his greatest asset. But the Yokohama southpaw proved he had good skills too, boxing a superb fight to wrest the title from the Australian by unanimous decision with scores of 116-111 (Ellis Johnson), 117-110 (Lou Moret) and 116-111 (Benoit Roussel).

“I got some pretty good support over there, but there’s no doubt Takei is their man,” said Moloney to Beyond The Ropes on 7plus.

“They blew the roof off the joint and it was an incredible atmosphere. Being over there and just walking out, there were people as far as you could possibly see. There were 55,000 people. It was a hard thing to fathom. Fighting in front of that sort of crowd was unbelievable. Obviously it wasn’t the result I wanted, but it was a moment you dream of.

“It’s why you work so hard and dedicate yourself to the sport; it’s for those sorts of opportunities. It is something that I will never forget. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the result I wanted, and hopefully I get the chance to right that wrong one day.

“It’s a crazy part of this sport. One minute you’ve got the world title, and the next, it’s take your pick. Do you want to fight in Australia on the Kambosos-Lomachenko undercard, or do you want to go across to Japan and fight at the Tokyo Dome in front of 55,000 people?

“There are always amazing opportunities being thrown at you, but after one loss, no one wants to know you.”

Moloney has been one of the most consistent performers in Australian boxing over the past decade. He dropped his first world title shot to then-IBF beltholder Emmanuel Rodriguez by split decision in Orlando, Florida, in October 2018 before winning four fights on the bounce, all inside the distance, to earn himself a title shot against Inoue two years later. In a brave effort, he lasted seven rounds against the Japanese phenom before rebuilding again to position himself for a shot at the vacant WBO bauble against Filipino Vincent Astrolabio in Stockton, California, in May of last year.

Moloney boxed a clever fight against Astrolabio to win a majority decision before hitting the road again to make his first title defense against Saul Sanchez in Quebec City, Canada, in January.

Californian slugger Sanchez performed out of his skin on the night, showing better boxing skill than in previous bouts to take the fight right down to the wire. Moloney got the nod by majority decision, but both boxers won more fans with their tremendous effort.

Now aged 33, Moloney knows the clock is ticking on his career. And all roads lead back to Japan.

“My division is being ruled in Japan at the moment,” The Ring’s No. 6-ranked 118-pound contender said. “All four of the world champions are Japanese, so that’s where I really need to be. I need to get back over there and get a shot at one of the titleholders over in Japan.

“If it was up to me and I could choose, I would really love to fight Takuma Inoue. He’s the WBA world champion. Obviously, there’s a little bit of history there, as I’ve fought his brother. I see that fight as a really good fight for me, stylistically. I think I can beat him, for sure. I just need the opportunity.

“Whether I need to get another win and get myself up the WBA rankings before I can push the mandatory with him, we will wait and see. I’ve got a little bit of a name over there now, so maybe that will entice him to bring me over as a voluntary defense. 

“But if I could choose one fight, Takuma Inoue is at the top of my hit list.”

The bantamweight division is as stacked as any in boxing right now, with a host of exciting new faces claiming one of the big four belts in the past 16 months. Takuma Inoue (20-1, 5 KOs) is the longest-reigning titleholder after claiming the vacant WBA strap against veteran Liborio Solis (37-7-1, 18 KOs) on points in April last year. Next is ex-WBO flyweight and junior bantamweight ruler Junto Nakatani (28-0, 21 KOs), who moved up in weight to claim the WBC belt against Alexandro Santiago (28-4-5, 14 KOs) via sixth-round TKO in February. Then there is Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1 KO) who annexed the IBF belt by beating Rodriguez (22-3, 13 KOs) on points on May 4. Takei is the newest titleholder, with his win against Moloney taking place on May 6.

All but Inoue are southpaws.

When asked to pick the best of the bunch, Moloney was hesitant but ultimately chose Nakatani, who holds a 12th-round knockout win over Jason’s twin brother, Andrew, at 115 pounds.

“It’s probably a pick ’em at the moment,” said Moloney. “We really need to see the champions fighting the champions. That’s what everyone wants to see. I obviously want to jump in there and take one of them on before that happens. But I think that Nakatani is probably the biggest name in the division at the moment. 

“I think stylistically, he is probably the hardest fight in the division, but he is still someone I would love to get in there and have a crack with. But we will just have to wait and see.

“There’s talk that Nakatani might fight [Takuma] Inoue, so they will start to look to unify and combine the titles, but I want to get in there and get a shot at Inoue first.

“I would obviously love the rematch with Takei as well. That wasn’t my best performance and I really believe I can beat him, so I would love another crack at him. Inoue, he’s the standout for me. If I could pick, that’s who I would want.”

But for Moloney, boxing is about so much more than titles and scalps. It’s about moments that he will cherish for the rest of his life.

“For me, I just want to make the absolute most out of this sport that I possibly can,” he said. “I’ve given my life to the sport, so all you want are the big opportunities and the big nights and the memorable occasions that you can tell your kids and your grandkids about in the history books.”

Australian-based boxing journalist Anthony Cocks has been covering the sport for over 20 years for various print and online publications. Follow him on X.