Australian boxing twins Jason and Andrew Moloney lock in Las Vegas fights amid Coronavirus lockdown

The boxing world is waking from its COVID-19 slumber, and Australia’s Jason and Andrew Moloney are champing at the bit to get back in the ring - whether there’s crowds or not.

Local Tweed Coast Boxers, Jason and Andrew Moloney prepare for Australian Title Fights this week end in Las Vegas. Photo: Scott Powick NEWSCORP

• ‘If I ask him it’s almost like me being a bully’

Andrew and Jason Moloney, Australia’s brilliant boxing twins, might be fighting with no crowd this month but they are thrilled they will be seen by their biggest audience ever.

With Las Vegas still in stages of COVID-19 Lockdown Andrew defends his world super-flyweight title against tough Texan Joshua Franco in an empty conference hall at the MGM Grand Casino on June 24 (Australian time).

While there will be no crowd, the fight will be beamed live to millions on the ESPN network.

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Australian boxing twins, Jason and Andrew Moloney, have fights lined up in Las Vegas. Picture: Scott Powick

The MGM has hosted fights such as Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao and Jeff Horn-Terence Crawford, and Moloney, who was labouring on a building site last month to help make ends meet for his wife and baby son, is thrilled to be making his first title defence at the venue even if it is in a crowd-less house.

“This a huge opportunity,” Moloney said.

“Franco is a very busy, tough opponent with a big reputation and even though the venue will be empty more people will be watching me fight on TV than ever before.

“My brother Jason fights in Vegas two days later against a Colombian bantamweight named Oscar Negrete, who fought three wars with Franco so we are really thrilled about this chance to show our stuff in America.’’

Andrew and Jason Moloney pictured together outside the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Picture: Supplied

Andrew, who won a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medal, won his WBA title against Ghana’s Elton Dharry in Melbourne last November on a card that also saw Barry Hall and Paul Gallen fight to a draw in their code war battle between footballing greats.

Hall sent the Moloneys a goodwill message on Facebook, declaring: “Good luck to the Moloney twins. They’re Australia’s highest rated boxers, and they need all the support they can get.

“If you talk about role models and people to look up, these two are the guys to get behind.

“They are so quiet, so humble – they let their fists do their talking and their professionalism is second to none. I’ve trained with a lot of high-class athletes in my time and these guys are certainly up there in the way they prepare. Good luck, go get ‘em’.”

AFL player-turned-boxer Barry Hall has offered his congratulations to the brothers. Picture: AAP

Another AFL great Mick McGuane added his support, saying: “Andrew is the only current Australian [men’s] world champion and Jason is No.2 in the world. So let’s cheer them on.”

Andrew is unbeaten in 21 fights with 14 KOs. Joshua Franco has 16 wins and two draws in 19 fights.

Jason Moloney has 20 wins and one controversial loss, dropping a disputed decision for the IBF world bantamweight title in Florida in 2018. On June 26, he faces Negrete who has a record of 19 wins, two losses and two draws against Franco.

Negrete dropped a 12-round decision for the world super-bantamweight title at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2017.

HOW ‘MINI TASTE OF RETIREMENT’ HAS HORN PUMPED FOR RETURN

By Grantlee Kieza

Jeff Horn has broken off the shackles of isolation and is ready to break Tim Tszyu apart in Townsville in late August or early September at the 25,000-seat Queensland Country Bank Stadium.

Horn’s Stretton Boxing Club has officially reopened following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and after six months without a fight, he is officially on the warpath ready to rumble in Australia’s biggest battle.

“I actually started back in the gym last week with my trainer, Glenn Rushton, just doing one-on-one stuff,’’ Horn said.

Jeff Horn is back in the gym and has Tim Tszyu in his sights.

“But now the gym is officially opened for 20 boxers at a time and we are back in business. I can’t wait to fight Tim.

“I’ve been doing almost all my training as a stay-home dad with two daughters, but I’ve been watching my diet and putting the work in on the exercise bike and with weights. I feel that I am very fit for the start of this campaign.’’

Rushton said he believed the long break from the gym had done the former world welterweight champion “the world of good”.

“Jeff has had a mini taste of retirement because of the lockdown and he realises that he still wants very much to fight,” Rushton said.

“At 32, he’s not done yet and I believe that he can beat anyone if he knuckles down and does the work in preparation.

Tszyu and Horn were set to fight initially in April.

“We are very confident of beating Tim.’’

While there has been talk of a Horn-Tszyu fight in a “crowd-less house’’ because of social distancing rules, Rushton is confident a short wait will be worthwhile after the original date of April 22 in Townsville was postponed because of the virus.

“We don’t want to wait forever,’’ Rushton said.

“But if we wait for a couple more months we will likely see crowds being allowed back to stadiums and people back into pubs and clubs in big numbers.

“That make a lot more economic sense for the fight. The NRL has led the way and they are looking at the return of some crowds in July.

“That’s why we are looking at August or September to fight Tim. Even if crowds are allowed back at 50 per cent capacity by then, that is still 10,000 people for a fight in Townsville and that will mean a great atmosphere and lot of tourist dollars for people up there who really need it.’’

The Horn camp is aiming for an August-September fight timeframe.

Rushton said the agreement with Tourism and Events Queensland to hold the fight in Townsville ran until August 22, and he planned to honour Horn’s commitment even if it meant extending the deal by a few weeks.

“There have been so very few cases of the virus in Queensland in recent weeks and we believe crowd restrictions will soon be eased,’’ Rushton said.

“Gyms have been allowed to open two weeks earlier than was planned, so Jeff is getting ready to fight before a crowd in what is the biggest Australian fight right now.’’

He said there was “no way’’ he would allow Tszyu to have any proposed warm-up bout in the interim.

“Horn-Tszyu is too big a fight to let that happen,’’ Rushton said.

“Jeff will give Tim all the fight he wants and more.’’

Horn and Tszyu both had their last fights in December.