World ‘puzzled’ as ‘heartbroken’ Aussie loses boxing title

The boxing world has been left scratching its head over “heartbroken” Jason Moloney’s tactics during his shock world title defeat.

Jason Moloney says he is “heartbroken” after losing his world title in a big upset on Monday night in Japan.

The Australian lost his WBO bantamweight belt to Japan’s Yoshiki Takei in a stunning upset at a packed Tokyo Dome as the co-main event of undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue’s win over Luis Nery.

Moloney was on the back foot right from the start of the fight and was well down on the judges’ scorecards. But everything changed in Round 12 when he started swinging for the fences.

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Moloney’s barrage of punches in the final round nearly saw him pull off a last-gasp robbery when he punched Takei into the ropes in the final seconds of the fight.

But the Japanese fighter, a former kickboxer who had won all eight of his previous boxing matches by knockout, took the title in front of 50,000 fans.

Takei was declared the winner by unanimous decision, with the judges scoring the bout 117-110, 116-111 and 116-111 in his favour.

“The 12th round was a real struggle,” said the 27-year-old Takei. “I wanted to win by knock-out but Moloney was really tough.

“I knew he was strong before the fight and I trained really hard because of that — it’s thanks to Moloney that I was able to toughen up,” he said.

Moloney, who won the vacant title in May last year, saw his record drop to 29-3, with 27 wins by KO.

“Obviously I’m heartbroken that I’ve lost my world title, something that I’ve worked my whole life to achieve,” he said.

“I’m disappointed because I don’t feel that I performed at my best. “It took me too long to make the adjustments that I needed to in the fight.”

With Takei left looking shattered and at the point of exhaustion in the final round, commentators were left wondering why the Australian hadn’t rolled the dice with his big punches earlier in the fight.

Puzzled by Moloney's performance. That final round should've been coming from him earlier. Takei a deserved winner. Another world champion for Japan. pic.twitter.com/6BvdF4fk35

— Shaun Brown (@shaunrbrown) May 6, 2024

Yoshiki Takei did it. Defeats Jason Moloney via unanimous decision. There was some iffy moments but what a performance. World champ with less than 10 professional fights. #MoloneyTakeipic.twitter.com/nhuSIcK1Ic

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 6, 2024

Jason Moloney showed who he is in that 12th round ... champion's heart and desire. Gotta love him. #boxing

— Lou DiBella🥊 (@loudibella) May 6, 2024

Against the 33-year-old Aussie, Takei took full advantage of his extra reach, keeping Moloney at bay and setting the agenda over a dominant first half of the fight, as you can see in the video player above.

Moloney battled his way into the contest over the middle stages, but Takei found a second wind and finished the stronger, surviving a furious final round to take his record to 9-0.

Moloney had won 27 of his 29 fights entering the clash with Takei, riding a six-fight winning streak dating back to his loss to Naoya Inoue back in October 2020.

It simply took him too long to get into the fight.

“I think he’s just a far more superior boxer,” commentator and Hall of Fame boxer Tim Bradley said of Takei in the closing stages.

“He’s the better athlete.”

Takei set the tone for most of the 12-round fight with Moloney. Photo Fox Sports

When the fight got underway, challenger Takei was warned three times for low blows in the opening round.

A fourth low shot midway through the second round had the Japanese fighter docked a point in an early advantage for Moloney.

Southpaw Takei was intent on taking the fight to the Aussie, throwing more punches through the opening rounds as he aimed to wrestle the belt from the champion.

The home favourite landed 46 punches to just 16 from Moloney over the opening three rounds as he made a superb start.

It had the commentators questioning Moloney’s call to fight in Japan rather than at home for his second title defence.

“That’s a huge decision,” Bradley said. “His reasoning makes sense, he wants to fight in front of a big crowd, but he could’ve fought at home.

Moloney has his moments in the middle rounds.

“You got home field advantage, you could bring this gentleman out there, why not do that?

“If this fight is close, he has to be worried. He has to dominate this fight tonight in order to get a decision.”

Yet it was Takei that continued to dominate the action, comfortably dictating terms over the opening five rounds as the home supporters started to sense an upset.

“There’s going to have to be a shift from Moloney in the game plan,” Bradley said.

“He’s going to have to take some risks, Takei is too superior on the outside.

“He needs to let his hands go to hope to catch Takei out of position.”

Moloney finally started to turn the contest from the sixth round, landing some heavy punches as the challenger started to tire and drop his hands.

Moloney rocked Takei with a big straight right early in the eighth round, before the Japanese fighter signalled to the referee he was fighting without his mouth guard in a major blunder from his corner.

Takei was far too strong for the Aussie in the end.

The Japanese fighter survived a strong period for the Aussie through the later rounds and then finished well, with Moloney unable to find the KO he needed in the 12th and final round.

Boxing returned to the Tokyo Dome for the first time since Buster Douglas shocked the sport by knocking out Mike Tyson, the undisputed, undefeated heavyweight champion, way back on February 11, 1990.

On a fight card that was dominated by Japanese fighters, Moloney entered the ring to Men at Work’s Land Down Under.

He was making the second defence of the world title he first won in March 2023 in the US.

After winning the title in California and defending it in Quebec, Canada in January, Moloney has now fallen short of a second defence in Japan.

Moloney, whose twin brother Andrew Moloney is challenging Pedro Guevara for the WBC junior bantamweight crown in Perth this weekend, had hoped to head home with the WBO bantamweight belt still around his waist.

But his dream fell short and will now force a rethink for Moloney and his camp.

In the main event, Inoue recovered from the first knockdown of his career early in the fight to knock Nery out with a brutal sixth-round stoppage.

“You are watching one of the greatest of all time, unquestionably,” commentator Joe Tessitore said of the undefeated Inoue.

“The undisputed champion just demolishes yet another worthy world title challenger.”

— with AFP

Originally published as World ‘puzzled’ as ‘heartbroken’ Aussie loses boxing title