Push to Bring Andrew Moloney’s World Title Fight Home to Australia
Talks are underway to stage Andrew Moloney’s long-awaited world title fight on home soil, as the Australian contender eyes a fresh partnership with Jai Opetaia’s Tasman Fighters stable.
The IBF has ordered that the winner of December’s showdown between Mexico’s Willibaldo Garcia and Japan’s two-division champion Kenshiro Teraji must defend the super-flyweight title against Moloney before June 25, 2026.
Moloney, who ended a frustrating year with a fifth-round stoppage over India’s Pawan Kumar in Suva, expects Teraji to win their upcoming bout in Saudi Arabia — a fight he believes Garcia pushed for “after selling his belt” in exchange for a lucrative appearance.
If Teraji prevails, a trip to Japan could await the Australian, but Moloney’s manager Tony Tolj hopes that linking up with Opetaia’s team can shift the fight to Australia instead.
“We’d love to bring it home,” Tolj said. “Andrew deserves to fight for the title in front of Aussie fans.”
Moloney’s comeback win in Fiji was his first after a year of setbacks. He had initially spent weeks in Mexico preparing for Argi Cortes, only for the fight’s date and venue to change repeatedly before it was scrapped. The IBF later made Moloney the mandatory challenger — but allowed Garcia to postpone his defense to fight on the Saudi card.
Meanwhile, Tasman Fighters promoter Mick Francis is gearing up for one of Australia’s biggest boxing nights on December 6, when Opetaia defends his IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles for the seventh time. The Gold Coast card will also feature Justis Huni, Teremoana Teremoana, Max McIntyre, Austin Aokuso, and Paul Fleming against Jake Wyllie.
Andrew’s twin brother Jason Moloney — a former bantamweight world champion — is also set to make his Tasman Fighters debut after parting ways with Top Rank. Jason, who once fought before 50,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, hopes the new partnership reignites his own title ambitions.
Francis, who also promotes Irish-born light heavyweight Conor Wallace, has confirmed that both Moloney brothers and Wallace could headline hometown title bouts early next year.
“We want to build big moments for Aussie boxing right here — not always overseas,” Francis said.
Moloney’s win in Fiji might just be the spark he needed — and with the right deal in place, his next fight could bring a world title back where it belongs: in Australia.
0 Comments