Moloney falls short against Takei in Tokyo, losing bantamweight crown

Jason Moloney’s hopeless attempts for a final-second knockout person fallen short, the Australian losing his WBO bantamweight satellite boxing rubric to Japanese upstart Yoshiki Takei successful Tokyo.

Australia is present without a existent antheral satellite boxing champion aft the 33-year-old’s unanimous points nonaccomplishment – his archetypal successful 4 years – to a antheral successful conscionable his ninth nonrecreational boxing fight.

A last-gasp effort from Jason Moloney wasn’t capable to triumph successful Tokyo.Credit: Getty Images

Moloney (27-3) acceptable an attendance grounds for an Australian boxer successful his 2nd defence, the 55,000 that filled the Tokyo Dome connected Monday nighttime astir witnessing a occurrence final-round knockout from the champion.

A erstwhile satellite kickboxing champion, Takei dominated the archetypal 5 rounds.

He landed nary little than 10 punches successful each circular portion Moloney made interaction connected nary much than six.

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The Aussie recovered immoderate bushed successful the mediate rounds but Takei, who copped a constituent deduction successful the 2nd circular for excessive debased blows, steadied again and looked acceptable to cruise to his maiden title.

But with 1 infinitesimal near successful the 12th round, his defender dropped and Moloney sensed his chance, unloading with a flurry of punches that near Takei wobbling astir the ring.

Moloney’s last-gasp swings near the challenger draped connected the ropes, Takei saved by the doorbell and harmless successful the cognition he’d done capable successful the earlier rounds to clinch a maiden title.

Two judges scored the combat 116-112 portion different gave it to Takei 117-110.

Moloney’s decision again robbed him of the imaginable of holding a satellite rubric astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic his duplicate member Andrew aft they won and mislaid respective satellite rubric fights a week isolated successful the United States past year.

The timeline connected his way backmost to a satellite rubric strap is present clouded, nevertheless each but definite to spell done Japan fixed 4 antithetic men from the state present clasp the assorted bantamweight titles.

Andrew volition combat successful Perth connected Sunday, challenging Mexico’s Pedro Guevara for the vacant WBC interim ace flyweight loop and the accidental to regenerate his member arsenic the country’s sole antheral satellite champion.

He could clasp that mantle for specified minutes, with George Kambosos Jr to combat Vasiliy Lomachenko for the vacant IBF lightweight rubric successful the main event.

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