Kosport Magazine: Jason Moloney to Defend WBO Bantamweight Title Against Yoshiki Takei on Inoue-Nery Undercard
On May 6, WBO bantamweight world champion Jason Moloney will defend his title against Yoshiki Takei on the undercard of the highly anticipated Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery fight at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. This will be Moloney’s first fight in Japan and he is excited for the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a new audience.
Moloney, with a record of 27-2 and 19 knockouts, was originally expected to fight on the Vasiliy Lomachenko-George Kambosos Jr card in Perth, Australia a week later. However, when the opportunity to fight in Japan arose, Moloney and his team made the decision to take it.
“It was a hard decision to make, both very good opportunities,” Moloney told Kosport Magazine. “We had to make a decision as a team on which was the best way to go. I obviously wanted to fight in Australia and have a first defense on home soil. But it was just too big of an opportunity to turn down, to be a part of the biggest event in Japanese boxing history in front of 55,000 people. How many people can say that they fought in front of 55,000 people in their career? We just couldn’t refuse.”
Takei, with a record of 8-0 and 8 knockouts, turned professional in 2021 after a successful career as a kickboxer. He has been fast-tracked to a world title opportunity with Moloney, which the champion sees as a high risk, high reward fight.
“Obviously he is not very experienced, people will look at his record and see that he is only 8-0,” Moloney said. “He’s won all his fights by knockout, which is impressive. He hasn’t fought world-level opposition as of yet as a boxer, but obviously he’s an experienced guy and world champion as a kickboxer. I guess they feel that his skills as a kickboxer have transitioned and is of benefit to him. His team obviously believe in him from what they see in the gym as well. They are going to think he is good if they are chucking him into a world title fight in his ninth fight.”
Moloney is not taking his opponent lightly and is preparing for a tough fight. “I think that he’s never fought a guy like me, and as I said I’m preparing for a very hard fight,” he said. “I think stylistically he does bring a bit to the table. He is a knockout puncher and quite a tricky customer. Some of the punches he throws, he has a bit of an awkward style. Maybe that’s from his kickboxing background, he jumps in at a wide distance and stuff. He’s the sort of guy you have to respect and be focused at all times.”
Moloney’s Japanese debut has already garnered attention from Japanese fight fans, with many showing their support for him on social media. “I was pretty surprised to see the support I had over there when I went over for a training camp [with Tomoki Kameda],” he said. “Hopefully I can gain a lot of new Japanese fans with a great performance. And hopefully they are not too upset about me beating their countryman.”
Kosport Magazine: Moloney Excited for Japanese Debut and High-Stakes Title Defense Against Takei
Australian boxer Jason Moloney is set to make his Japanese debut on May 6 as he defends his WBO bantamweight title against Yoshiki Takei on the undercard of the Inoue-Nery fight. The decision to fight in Japan was a difficult one for Moloney and his team, but the opportunity to be a part of the biggest event in Japanese boxing history was too good to pass up.
Takei, with an impressive record of 8-0 and 8 knockouts, may not have as much experience as Moloney, but the champion is not underestimating his opponent. “He’s the sort of guy you have to respect and be focused at all times,” Moloney said. “I think that he’s never fought a guy like me, and as I said I’m preparing for a very hard fight.”
Moloney’s Japanese debut has already garnered attention from Japanese fight fans, with many showing their support for him on social media. “Hopefully I can gain a lot of new Japanese fans with a great performance,” he said. “And hopefully they are not too upset about me beating their countryman.”
