WBO bantamweight world champion Jason Moloney will defend his title against Yoshiki Takei on the undercard of Naoya Inoue vs. Louis Nery on May 6 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.
Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs) was scheduled to join the Vasily Lomachenko-George Kambosos Jr. bill in Perth, Australia, a week later.
“This was probably the first time in my career that people were surprised by this announcement,” Moloney told BoxingScene. “Normally in the boxing industry, when a fight is announced, everyone knows about it for a month or two.”
“Everyone, myself included, was expecting me to be on the Kambosos vs. Lomachenko card, and obviously this opportunity came along.” It was a difficult decision, but both were great opportunities.
“We had to decide as a team what path was best.” Naturally, I wanted to compete in Australia and make my first defense on home soil. It was too great an opportunity to pass up to take part in the biggest event in Japanese boxing history, held in front of 55,000 spectators. How many people can say they fought in front of 55,000 people during their career? we couldn’t turn it down. There is always a homecoming. I have fought in Australia many times, and as much as I love Australia, I have always wanted to fight in Japan. Pound-for-pound No. 1 and four world titles in one show, that’s huge.
Jason Moloney: I Couldn’t Turn Down The Opportunity To Be Part Of Biggest Event In Japanese Boxing History https://t.co/oOiuwNrYBk
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) April 6, 2024
“I think it’s going to be an even bigger fight and probably a tougher fight than the one in Australia.” If you perform well, you might be able to headline your own show in Australia. ”
Takei (8-0, 8 KOs) turned professional in 2021 after finding success as a kickboxer and was given a world title shot alongside Moloney.
“This is a high risk, high reward fight that will take me to the top and should open a lot of doors,” Moloney continued. “Obviously, he doesn’t have a lot of experience. People will look at his record and see he’s only 8-0.” He has won all of his fights by knockout, which is It’s impressive. As a boxer, he has yet to fight a world-class opponent, but he is clearly an experienced man and is a world champion in kickboxing. “I think they feel that his skills as a kickboxer have changed and become an advantage for him.” His team also clearly believes in him from what they see in the gym. If you throw him into a world championship fight in his ninth fight, they’ll think he’s good. They bring me to fight in his backyard. I know he’s hungry to be a champion.
“I don’t think he’s ever fought someone like me before, and like he said, I’m preparing for a very tough fight.” I think he brings a lot to the table stylistically. He’s a knockout hitter and a pretty tough customer. He has a somewhat clumsy style in some shots. Maybe it’s because of my background in kickboxing, jumping from long distances, etc. He’s a guy you have to respect and always focus on. Bruno (Tarimo) said he had incredible power, but Bruno really struggled with him and was stopped by a cut in the 11th round. As for Bruno, I don’t think he fought the right fight and I don’t think he was the best Bruno that night. “I see Bruno in the gym and know what he’s capable of.”
Moloney is scheduled to make his Japanese debut in May, and is already receiving cheers from Japanese fight fans themselves.
“I think he gets a lot of attention in Japan because he was a world kickboxing champion,” Moloeny added. “I’m not sure how popular he is, but he seems to have some respect from Japanese boxing fans on Twitter and X.” They seem so excited, which is great. When I went to the training camp (with Kazuki Kameda), I was very surprised to see the support that I experienced there. I hope to win many new Japanese fans with my great performance. And I hope they won’t be too upset that I defeated their compatriots. ”
