Andrew Moloney vs Junto Nakatani: Japanese sledgehammer ends Aussie twin title dream in Las Vegas

Andrew Moloney was hoping to complete an incredible family sporting double. But a brutal KO from Japan’s Junto Nakatani has led to fears for the Aussie’s health.

Devin Haney (L) faces off against Vasyl Lomachenko.

Andrew Moloney has fallen brutally short of adding the WBO junior bantamweight title to the world championship belt won by his brother Jason last weekend.

Attempting to complete an unprecedented double of twin titles by twin brothers in consecutive weeks, Andrew was knocked out cold by Japan’s heavy-hitting Junto Nakatani in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The 32-year-old was a massive underdog against the undefeated 25-year-old Nakatani at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, paying $4.50 during the week back home in Australia.

There are concerns for Moloney’s health after the brutal 12th round knockout. He’s been taken straight from the MGM Grand to the UMC hospital in Vegas. His camp says he’s alert and awake but needs to be properly diagnosed after being knocked down three times in the fight – rounds two, 11 and the torrid finish.

“I’ll do everything in my power to get the job done,” he said before the fight and he was good to his word, throwing everything he had into one of the most famous rings in the world, but Nakatani was too good, hitting like a sledgehammer.

Australia’s Andrew Moloney hits the canvas in his fight against Junto Nakatani of Japan. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

Fighting three hours before the main event for the undisputed lightweight championship between Davin Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko, Moloney walked out to a three-quarters full stadium just before 6pm on a Saturday night in Vegas.

Jason Moloney was in Andrew’s corner. His own world title belt was in the locker room as motivation. Nakatani arrived in a golden robe, grinning after having said he was “100 per cent” certain of victory. Moloney was jumping out of his skin. Grim-faced, jaw clenched, eyes ablaze. An Australian flag hung across his corner for the introductions. Nakatani oozed the confidence of a 25-year-old with a 24-0 record.

Andrew Moloney (right) tries to land a punch on Junto Nakatani. Picture: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Moloney stared daggers when instructions were given for a good clean fight. Nakatani had a distinct height and reach advantage. He rattled Moloney and sent him to his knees in round two. Nakatani’s left was the sledgehammer but his right uppercut did plenty of damage. Moloney finished round two with a cut above his right eye. He was battered and bruised by the end of a torrid night in the most brutal office in world sport.

Round three was delayed when a head clash left Nakatani with blood pouring down his face. The reach advantage was 180cm to 165cm to Nakatini; Moloney couldn’t get in range to unleash.

He has enormous ticker and he’s indisputably tough and he nearly went the distance despite copping some torrid treatment. But the dream of joining Jason as world champ wasn’t to be

Inside Moloney’s short at Las Vegas glory

We’re in a city of highs and lows. Let’s start with the latter. A downtrodden woman called GG is dishing out the cards at the blackjack table about a 30-second walk from the MGM Grand Garden Arena where a lion-hearted bloke Andrew Moloney will fight for the WBO junior bantamweight title on Sunday.

She looks so bloody sad. Bored. Disappointed. One of the slick young dudes at her table is wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt as if he’s auditioning for The Hangover IV. He’s a bit of a smart arse, really, and asks her, “What did you dream of being when you were a little girl, GG?” It’s condescending. A sledge. She shrugs and says, “What does that matter? Dreams don’t come true.”

Andrew Moloney and Junto Nakatani.

Well, they do if you hang in there long enough. The 32-year-old Andrew Moloney is in the middle of one right now. The unprecedented double of identical twin brothers, Andrew and Jason Moloney, winning world titles in the same week goes on the line when Andrew faces undefeated Japanese southpaw Junto Nakatani. There’s another dream being lived inside that one, though, the dream he’s in right now, the dream of featuring on a card of the caliber of this one. At a larger-the-life venue where all the pugilistic greats have punched on.

“I came here years ago as a fan of the sport,” Moloney said after getting the green light at the weigh-in at the buzzing MGM Grand. “I wanted to see the big fights in Vegas. See and feel how much the place goes off. It’s unbelievable. Like nothing else. I saw (Floyd) Mayweather and (Manny) Pacquiao here and I’ve seen GGG (Gennady Golovkin). Just seeing the whole build-up in fight week, and then the atmosphere on the night, which is ballistic, just the whole show and the hype and the crowds and the noise is through the roof. It’s a dream come true to be involved in a night like this, but it’s only one dream. The dream inside the dream. The real dream is to get the job done and win.”

Andrew Moloney of Australia (L) faces off against Junto Nakatani of Japan (R) during a ceremonial weigh-in.

Vegas’s charismatic Devin Haney headlines against Ukraine’s two-time Olympic champion and three-division champion Vasiliy Lomachenko for the undisputed lightweight championship. You can’t walk a hundred metres in Vegas without seeing billboards and posters for Haney-Loma and the ticket queue inside the MGM Grand on Saturday stretched down to Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club. Which is quite the distance. Asked what fight night will be like, a dear old lady on the door to the Garden Arena said, “Nice and rowdy!”

Nakatani’s English isn’t as strong as his left hook. He knew enough to say, “100 per cent,” when asked if he expected to beat Moloney, whose twin, Jason, won the WBO bantamweight crown last weekend. Jason had a couple of quiet beers on Wednesday night but he’s yet to properly revel in his triumph. He’s waiting for Andrew to join him but it’s a long shot. Moloney’s the $4.20 underdog.

Devin Haney (L) faces off against Vasyl Lomachenko of Ukraine (R).

An Australian flag across his shoulders, he won the stare-off at the weigh-in. He glared long and hard at the 25-year-old Nakatani when they were face-to-face. When they were directed to cast their eyes at the nice and rowdy crowd, Moloney kept looking sideways at Nakatani, who was taken aback and ended up looking away. “Expect fireworks,” Moloney said. “We might steal the show.”

Haney was so annoyed by Lomachenko’s stone-like facade that she started mouthing off. Then he shoved him and stormed off. Par for the course, of course, but from next to the stage it felt like living, breathing, genuine animosity. Before Heney-Loma get nice and rowdy, it’ll be on for young and old between Moloney and Nakatani.

“I’ll be taking my belt along,” Jason said. “Firstly, so Andrew can see it and get some extra motivation. But also so it’s already there and ready when my brother brings his own belt back in. Then we can celebrate two world titles together. Obviously because this is such a unique situation, I haven’t celebrated my win yet. I won but next day the focus quickly shifted to Andrew and getting him ready. It’s all about Andrew now and once he wins, we’ll have a joint celebration. It’s going to be incredible.”

Originally published as Andrew Moloney vs Junto Nakatani: Japanese sledgehammer ends Aussie twin title dream in Las Vegas