Jason Moloney plans to show the ‘Monster’ Naoya Inoue is human after all when they clash at the ‘Bubble’ in the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, on Saturday (October 31).
Australian Moloney has been written off by most observers, but feels this is the chance to show his championship pedigree against reigning WBA Super and IBF bantamweight champion and pound-for-pound star Inoue.
“Every fighter should want to fight the best. That’s why we’re in this sport. My dream and my goal is to be the best bantamweight in the world, and the only way to make that happen is to beat Inoue,” said Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs). “I’ve been working towards this opportunity, and have wanted this opportunity, for a long time. It’s finally here. I’m completely confident and I know I’ve got what it takes to beat him. Saturday night’s the opportunity to prove it. I can’t wait. I’m ready to go.
“I love being the underdog, and I love proving people wrong and going out there and, as I’ve said before, shocking the world. I know a lot of people don’t give me a chance in this fight, and that just gives me extra motivation and extra fire in the belly to go out there and show people what can be done. People place some of these fighters like Inoue and [Vasiliy] Lomachenko on this pedestal and think that they’re unbeatable, but they’re not. We’re all human. We all got two arms and two legs, and everyone has weaknesses. Everybody can be beaten.”
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The all-Kiwi heavyweight clash between Joseph Parker and former amateur rival Junior Fa has been pushed back one day to December 12.
The fight had originally been scheduled for December 11 to avoid clashing with an All-Blacks rugby fixture the following day. The rugby match is now off, handing Parker and Fa the more convenient Saturday fight date.
Parker and Fa fought four times as amateurs, splitting their series 2-2. Both are world-rated as pros and the fight at the Spark Arena, Auckland, is widely regarded as the biggest fight in New Zealand boxing history.
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WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade is seeking a new opponent after Dusty Hernandez-Harrison was ruled out of their super-middleweight 10-rounder in Hollywood, Florida, on November 27.
Hernandez-Harrison was significantly overweight with the fight four weeks’ away. Maryland’s D’Mitrius Ballard (20-0-1, 13 KOs) could now step in.
Welshman Liam Williams, the WBO’s No.1 contender, hopes to fight Andrade next.
Main image: Mikey Williams/Top Rank.