It was supposed to be a historic moment – Andrew Moloney’s chance to join his brother Jason to become the first Australian twins to claim world boxing titles.
Jason Moloney already grabbed his chance, defeating Vincent Astrolabio for the bantamweight belt in California last weekend.
But unfortunately for the Moloney family, Andrew fell brutally short of adding the WBO junior bantamweight title to the strap won by his brother after undefeated Japanese knock out artist Junto Nakatani (24-0) claimed the belt in Las Vegas with a thunderous KO.
READ MORE: ‘Silly’: Maroons lament Kaufusi act as ban looms
READ MORE: ‘Secret catalyst’ inspired Tigers hammering
READ MORE: ‘Unusual’ Interchange error cost Roos dearly
“That was devastating,” Joe Tessitore said for ESPN.
“He is laid out in brutal fashion. They need medical attention right away. Unbelievable punch. It was like a human shotgun going off.”
Nakatani utilised his distinct height and reach advantage and sent Moloney to his knees in round two, leaving the Aussie with a cut above his right eye.
A determined Moloney almost made it all the way to the final bell, but Nakatani dished out severe punishment throughout, which reportedly left Moloney with two perforated eardrums, and finally finished the tough Australian contender late in the last round of their 12-round, 115-pound championship match. Moloney was dropped but got back up in the second, eleventh and final round. The Aussie was taken to hospital for observation.
“If you’re Nakatani you’re saying, ‘Oh my God, what is keeping this guy up?’… this man continues to come back,” Timothy Bradley said on ESPN.
“Andrew Moloney is so determined,” added Tessitore.
The official time of the stoppage was 2:42 of the 12th round on the Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko undercard at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
The Mole’s team of the week: Boom centre makes Knights’ Bali critics look foolish
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
