Australian boxer Andrew Moloney robbed of world title by ‘ludicrous’ ruling

Australian boxer Andrew Moloney was cruelly denied the super flyweight world title when his bout ended in “ludicrous” circumstances.

The highly-anticipated bout between Australian boxer Andrew Moloney and WBA super flyweight world champion Joshua Franco has ended in controversial circumstances.

Doctors stopped the bout in the second round after Franco’s swollen eye hindered his vision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Because the referee believed the swelling was caused by a headbutt, the fight ended as a “No Contest”, but replays showed the injury was caused by one of Moloney’s powerful jabs to the face.

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Franco took the title belt from Moloney in June, and the Aussie was eager to reclaim the accolade on Sunday AEDT.

Moloney got off to a strong start in the 12-round contest, peppering his opponent with jabs to the body and head.

But the referee stopped the bout in the second round so Franco could have his swollen eye inspected by a doctor. The 25-year-old was unable to see out of his right eye due to the excessive swelling.

That is a punch #FrancoMoloney2 pic.twitter.com/ha2RfJdGfU

— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) November 15, 2020

Although ESPN replays suggested a headbutt was not to blame for the injury, the bout controversially ended with Franco keeping the title belt, cruelly robbing Moloney.

The Athletic journalist Mike Coppinger tweeted: “This is comical. The election count was quicker. Casuals are going to turn off the channel.”

Soon after, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revealed they were reviewing the decision, and spent 30 minutes looking over the footage.

But the decision was bizarrely upheld with replay boss Robert Byrd claiming they had witnessed two head clashes, and the boxing community understandably voiced their disgust.

Man. This sucks. That is not a headbutt. Come on guys! Do the right thing! #FrancoMoloney2 @trboxing @espn #boxing

— Rosie Perez (@rosieperezbklyn) November 15, 2020

This is LUDICROUS that this is taking so long. It’s an abomination.

— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) November 15, 2020

This is taking almost a half hour of instant replay. TERRIBLE look for boxing!!! #FrancoMoloney2

— Henry Lake (@lakeshow73) November 15, 2020

Horrible! shame on Boxing... Maloney won. #FrancoMoloney2

— Willie Colon (@willcolon66) November 15, 2020

And we thought VAR in fútbol was bad ... #crawfordBrook

— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) November 15, 2020

Boxing journalist Dan Rafael tweeted: “That is absolute f***ing bulls***. BULLS***. There was no noticeable head butt. But there were numerous clean jabs on Franck’s eye. Horrendous call. They got it wrong.”

Moloney fought back tears as he tried to discuss the final result: “(Fronco’s) team is talking s**t … that eye was closed by 50 jabs. That’s why his eye’s shut, not the headbutt. There was no headbutt.

“I can’t believe that they took this away from me. I’ve trained my ass off for the last five months, been away from my family, and then they take it away from me.

“I can’t believe they didn’t give it to me. That’s why they’ve got the instant replay working right now, for moments like this.”

Heavyweight boxing promoter Bob Arum fumed: “They kept with it (the initial decision) to protect the referee who didn’t know what the hell he was doing.

“I’m absolutely disgusted.

“People blame me because I’m the promoter but I’ve got nothing to do with the God damn thing.

“I just want a fair adjudication. They made a mistake, the referee made a mistake and they have his back.

“I mean, it’s not even close.”

AUSSIE TEEN’S INSANE STATEMENT KNOCKOUT

Aussie teenager Vegas Larfield has made a statement on the global stage after knocking out his opponent on Sunday.

On the undercard to a monstrous world title double-header, Larfield stole the limelight with a third-round stoppage of Juan Alberto Flores.

In the third-round of a four-round fight, Larfield turned up the heat on his opponent an score two knockdowns before the referee stepped in to bring it to an end.

Flores held the advantage on the judges scorecards after the opening two rounds, but it was one-way traffic for the 18-year-old Aussie in the third.

A perfectly placed left hook landed on the chin of Flores and sent him crashing to the canvas. As he moved in for the kill, a straight right hand bomb dropped the Mexican again.

Larfield then battered his opponent with several shots against the ropes before the bout was officially stopped.

An Australian named Vegas came to Vegas and did. the. work. 🇦🇺

Bantamweight Vegas Larfield (2-0, 2 KO) poured it on in Round 3 to stop Juan Alberto Flores. 😮#CrawfordBrook | Undercard LIVE NOW on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/XzM7iZhZFR

— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) November 15, 2020

“Aussie Vegas Larfield makes a massive statement on the world stage! Two knockdowns and a stoppage win in round two of his second pro fight at,” Fox Sports’ Ben Damon wrote.

“Vegas Larfield drops Flores twice before the referee stopped the bout. Exciting from the 18-year-old Aussie, who moves to 2-0,” Sporting News’ Brendan Bradford wrote.