‘Worst excuse’ fuels Moloney as fight gets personal
Murray Wenzel |
Andrew Moloney’s world title rival is about to find out what happens when you mess with his mother.
Australia’s former super flyweight world champion will fight Argi Cortes in the off-beat Mexican city of Durango in an IBF world title eliminator on August 16.
The fight was first shifted from July 12 to 19 in Monterrey but, up against the Manny Pacquiao and Jesse Rodriguez cards, lost its television deal.
The promoter eventually rescheduled the fight to August 9.
It wasn’t until Moloney (27-4) and his team were on the ground that the date was moved again, this time because friends of the businessman bankrolling the event were busy this weekend and couldn’t attend.
“It’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard to push a fight back,” Moloney told AAP.
“They didn’t even try and hide the fact; pretty disrespectful I thought.”
Moloney’s twin brother Jason, dethroned as WBO bantamweight world champion last year, is also in camp.
They’ll both now miss their mother’s 60th birthday getaway, that had already been shifted once to accommodate the second date change.
On to their third Durango rental booking, the Moloney team have leant on their sponsors and explained to their children why they’re not coming home next week.
“I’m looking forward to taking that one out on Argi Cortes,” the 34-year-old said.
“You’ve pissed off my mum and let her down, champ.
“All she wanted was a birthday with the whole family together, but you’ve stuffed that up. It’s been ridiculous.”
He is adamant the delays will help though, Moloney confident the five-week stay will have him fully acclimatised to the city’s higher altitude and time zone.
“They’ve made a big mistake, because I’ve got better and better the longer I’ve been here,” he said.
“Over the years it’s felt like things have never really gone my way, but it’s like the stars have aligned.”
Moloney has reunited with Francisco Pedroza, who lost to his brother Jason in 2022 and has since been used as a sparring partner.
Two other sparring partners, one who owns a gym and lives in Durango, have helped Moloney feel right at home.
“It’s not the place you’d go for a holiday and I’m fighting in his backyard, but I’ve realised I actually love the feeling of doing it the hard way,” he said.
The former secondary WBA super flyweight champion beat Migual Gonzalez in his native Chile on the way to his first title strap in 2019.
A controversial trilogy loss to Joshua Franco stripped him of that status, before Moloney was knocked out by superstar Junto Nakatani in a 2023 world title fight and then copped a dubious points loss in an interim world title fight in Perth last year.
That defeat to another Mexican, Pedro Guevara, prompted a furious Moloney to announce his immediate retirement, a declaration he walked back once the dust had settled.
Next weekend’s victor will earn mandatory status against current IBF champion Willibaldo Garcia.
Cortes (27-4-2), the only man to go the distance with Nakatani in a title fight, is no pushover.
“Sometimes you feel like you’re in the tunnel and there’s no light at the end, but at the moment it’s never been more clear,” Moloney said.
“Beat these two guys in front of me.
“I’ve just got this burning desire to become world champion again.
“It’s all I’ve thought about since losing it and I’m so close now, not going to let anything get in the way.”
AAP
