‘Sad, crazy’ reason behind Moloney’s historic Fiji duel
Murray Wenzel |
Andrew Moloney has detailed the violent bus attack that left his training partner in hospital and prompted his history-making Fijian debut.
Australia’s former WBA super flyweight king will be the first world champion to fight in the country when he faces India’s Pawan Kumar at Suva’s Vodafone Arena on Saturday.
The fight will be Moloney’s (27-4) first in 12 months and comes after the 34-year-old spent five weeks in Mexico earlier this year preparing for a world title eliminator that never happened.
Now Moloney has stepped in for Kingscliff training partner Zhou Runqi, who was hospitalised with head injuries following what the boxer alleged was a racially-charged attack of he and his wife while on a bus in the northern NSW coastal town earlier this month.
Moloney’s manager Tony Tolj, of Dragon Fire Boxing, has been working with Fiji’s Kings Boxing to create events for the country.
Zhou’s initial challenger pulled out when told he’d instead be fighting Moloney, forcing organisers scrambling to find a replacement in the form of the rangy Indian.
“He basically got jumped and hit over the head … very sad and a crazy thing to happen at home,” Moloney said of the attack.
“He’s OK now and when it happened, Tony and I said, ‘Why don’t I fight the guy he was going to fight?’.
“The promoter was quite excited to have a former world champion coming over, so when that opponent pulled out they were still able to put it together.”
Moloney walked away from his IBF eliminator against Argi Cortes in August after the fight’s date and location had been repeatedly changed once he had arrived in the country.
Viewed as a breach of contract by Cortes, Moloney has since been guaranteed a shot at the winner of Willibaldo Garcia and Kenshiro Teraji’s big-money IBF title fight on December 27 in Saudi Arabia before June next year.
But, so desperate is the Kingscliff-based talent for time in the ring, he will risk that against a towering challenger who fights two weight classes heavier at super bantamweight.
“It is a risky position to take a fight when you’re lined up for world title fight next, but I’ve had two rounds in the last 18 months,” he said.
“I knew for me to be at my best I needed some time in the ring.
“Heading home from Mexico, I was really disappointed.
“But then I was promised I’d go into the world title fight straight away and that was keeping me positive.
“Then I got the news they’d allowed this December 27 fight … that was a kick in the guts and deflated the tyres.
“But I just had to refocus and realise I am fighting for the world title next year.
“Our mantra is that I’m ready to fight at all times. That’s paid off because I was able to say yes to this one.”
AAP
