Unretired Andrew Moloney back in world title frame
Murray Wenzel |
Andrew Moloney is back in world title contention less than a year since sensationally announcing his retirement from boxing after a controversial loss.
AAP can reveal Australia’s former super flyweight world champion (27-4-1) has been ordered to fight Mexico’s Argi Cortes (27-4-2) in an IBF eliminator.
Negotiations are now underway to determine a date and venue for the fight between a pair with remarkably similar records.
The winner will become the mandatory challenger to the victor of this month’s IBF title fight between Mexican pair Willibaldo Garcia and Rene Calixto.
The chance comes less than a year after the 34-year-old Moloney quit the sport in a rage after losing on points to Pedro Guevara for the interim WBC super flyweight title.
Moloney reversed his retirement decision later last year and has fought once since, comfortably beating Jakrawut Majungoen in December.
He was also denied a world title in 2020 after a hugely controversial no-decision verdict when it was decided a cut to Joshua Franco’s eye was caused by a headbutt and not a Moloney punch.
Moloney’s manager Tony Tolj said he held no concerns over the integrity of his charge’s next fight.
“If anyone deserves another world title opportunity it is Andrew,” he told AAP.
Cortes’ only two losses since 2015 have been against two-weight world champion Juan Estrado and Japanese demolition man Junto Nakatani, who savagely knocked Moloney out in their 2023 title fight.
“It’s another massive fight and Argi is a great fighter, we believe better than the pair fighting for the IBF title this month,” Tolj said.
“We’re working on it (a date and location) now.”
The opportunity comes after Andrew’s twin brother’s back-to-back losses to highly-rated Japanese bantamweights Tenshin Nasukawa and Yoshiki Takei since he won and defended his WBO crown.
AAP
