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Who Will Make History: inoue or Moloney By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Wed, 28 Oct 2020  The first two times an Australian bantamweight boxer challenged a Japanese world champion, the title changed hands and historical records were made. This Saturday in the US (Sunday in the Philippines), it is up to Jason Moloney to continue the trend and to Naoya Inoue to break the jinx. The unbeaten Inoue goes up against once defeated Moloney this Saturday, October 31, 2020 in the first defense of his unified WBA and IBF and Ring Magazine lineal world bantamweight championships at The Bubble, MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Inoue last fought in November last year, beating Filipino legend Nonito Donaire in the bantamweight finals of the World Boxing Super Series where he won Donaire's WBA super title and the Muhammad Ali trophy to go with his IBF and Ring Magasine lineal titles. He was supposed to fight Filipino WBO titlist Johnriel Casimero in another unification last April in what was supposed to be his grand US championship debut but it fell through due to uncertainties caused by the Covid pandemic. Moloney who Top Rank's Bob Arum chose as replacement foe for Inoue, fought just last June and won his fourth straight stoppage since he was narrowly outpointed in his failed IBF title attempt versus Emmanuel Rodriguez in October, 2018. Rodriguez of Puerto Rico was stopped in only two rounds by Inoue in May 2019 in their WBSS bantamweight semi finals, losing his IBF crown to the streaking Japanese. It will only be the third high profile meeting between a Japanese world champion and an Australian challenger with at least a world bantamweight title on the line in nearly 52 years. In both occasions, the boxer from Down Under prevailed while establishing historical record. In February 1968, Lionel Rose boxed his way to an upset 15 round unanimous decision victory over defending titlist Masahiko Fighting Harada at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo to wrest the world bantamweight, becoming in the process the first Australian aborigine world boxing champion. Harada's bad luck with Australian foes continued afterwards when he was held to a draw and later lost by late round knockout to Johnny Famechon in their two bouts for the vacant world featherweight crown in 1969-70. In April 1985, Jeff Fenech knocked out defending titleholder Satoshi Shingaki in the ninth round in Sydney to wrest the IBF bantamweight crown. in the process he became the third fastest at the time to win a world pro boxing championship behind Saensak Muangsuring and Leon Spinks. There would be many other Japanese bantamweight world champions after Harada and Shingaki, the most recent before Inoue being Shinsuke Yamanaka but they were bereft of Australian challenger to avenge those twin notable defeats. Will Inoue finally notch that first win after a long, long time? Or will Moloney pull another major upset and continue the trend by becoming the very first fighter, not just first Australian, to beat Inoue? The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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