Jason Moloney’s valiant effort to retain his WBO bantamweight world boxing title fell short as he lost to Japanese sensation Yoshiki Takei by a unanimous points decision at the Tokyo Dome on Monday night. The defeat not only ended Moloney’s reign as champion but also left Australia without a current male world boxing titleholder.
In front of a record-breaking crowd of 55,000, the 33-year-old Australian faced a formidable challenge in Takei, who was competing in just his ninth professional boxing bout. Despite his relative inexperience, the former world kickboxing champion dominated the early rounds, consistently landing more punches than Moloney.
Although Moloney managed to find his rhythm in the middle rounds, Takei regained control and appeared to be cruising towards his first world title. The Japanese fighter did receive a point deduction in the second round for excessive low blows, but this setback did not deter him from maintaining his advantage.
With just one minute remaining in the 12th and final round, Moloney sensed an opportunity as Takei’s guard dropped. The Australian unleashed a barrage of punches, leaving his opponent wobbling around the ring. The desperate attempt for a last-second knockout nearly paid off, with Takei draped on the ropes as the bell sounded. However, the challenger had done enough in the earlier rounds to secure the victory, with two judges scoring the fight 116-112 and another giving it to Takei 117-110.
The loss was Moloney’s first in four years and denied him the chance to hold a world title simultaneously with his twin brother Andrew, a feat they nearly accomplished last year when they won and lost respective world title fights just a week apart in the United States.
Moloney’s path back to a world title is now uncertain, but it will likely involve a return to Japan, as four different Japanese fighters currently hold the various bantamweight titles. Meanwhile, Andrew Moloney will have the opportunity to replace his brother as Australia’s sole male world champion when he challenges Mexico’s Pedro Guevara for the vacant WBC interim super flyweight belt in Perth on Sunday.
In the main event of the same card, George Kambosos Jr. will fight Vasiliy Lomachenko for the vacant IBF lightweight title, potentially allowing Australia to regain multiple world champions in a matter of minutes. Later this month, unbeaten cruiserweight Jai Opetaia, who was forced to relinquish his IBF title earlier this year, will have the chance to reclaim it in a rematch against Mairis Briedis in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the disappointing result for Jason Moloney, Australian boxing fans have much to look forward to in the coming weeks, with several opportunities for the nation’s fighters to shine on the global stage.