Unretired Andrew Moloney back in world title frame
Andrew Moloney is back in world title contention less than a year since sensationally announcing his retirement from boxing after a controversial loss.
AAP can reveal Australia's former super flyweight world champion (27-4-1) has been ordered to fight Mexico's Argi Cortes (27-4-2) in an IBF eliminator.
Negotiations are now underway to determine a date and venue for the fight between a pair with remarkably similar records.
The winner will become the mandatory challenger to the victor of this month's IBF title fight between Mexican pair Willibaldo Garcia and Rene Calixto.
The chance comes less than a year after the 34-year-old Moloney quit the sport in a rage after losing on points to Pedro Guevara for the interim WBC super flyweight title.
Moloney reversed his retirement decision later last year and has fought once since, comfortably beating Jakrawut Majungoen in December.
He was also denied a world title in 2020 after a hugely controversial no-decision verdict when it was decided a cut to Joshua Franco's eye was caused by a headbutt and not a Moloney punch.
Moloney's manager Tony Tolj said he held no concerns over the integrity of his charge's next fight.
"If anyone deserves another world title opportunity it is Andrew," he told AAP.
Cortes' only two losses since 2015 have been against two-weight world champion Juan Estrado and Japanese demolition man Junto Nakatani, who savagely knocked Moloney out in their 2023 title fight.
"It's another massive fight and Argi is a great fighter, we believe better than the pair fighting for the IBF title this month," Tolj said.
"We're working on it (a date and location) now."
The opportunity comes after Andrew's twin brother's back-to-back losses to highly-rated Japanese bantamweights Tenshin Nasukawa and Yoshiki Takei since he won and defended his WBO crown.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Best buds: how Opetaia and Crawford hit it off
The two-way respect earned in an evening with Terence 'Bud' Crawford could pay off in the form of a Las Vegas stadium unification blockbuster for Jai Opetaia. Australian cruiserweight Opetaia (27-0) defends his IBF and The Ring belts on the Gold Coast on Sunday against Italian knockout artist Claudio Squeo (17-0). If successful he'll then accelerate his push for more belts, a quest dating back almost three years since his upset win against Mairis Briedis despite breaking his jaw in two places. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez will defend his WBA and WBO belts later this month and is Opetaia's target, potentially on the undercard to Crawford's super-fight against Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 25. Crawford, who took Jeff Horn's welterweight title in 2018, will aim to become a five-weight world champion and the first undisputed three-weight champion. Opetaia has never fought in the United States but has earnt a reputation in the UK and has Saudi billionaire and boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh in his corner after a series of pulverising knockout wins in both countries. Manager Mick Francis plans to head to the United States after Sunday's fight to pursue a deal, buoyed after a meeting with future Hall of Famer Crawford on the Gold Coast last week. "After dealing with him, he's a real one of the sport and he realised I was too," Opetaia told AAP of his time with Crawford on the American's promotional tour. "He knows who I am, for the right reasons." Crawford, among the world's top pound-for-pound talents, defied the poverty, crime and violence associated with his Omaha upbringing and now operates a not-for-profit gym there. NSW-born Opetaia has enjoyed recent visits to conduct junior clinics in Samoa, a heritage he celebrates heavily on fight nights. "There's a lot of similarities in how he thinks, it was refreshing to hear his take," Opetaia said. "I've looked up to him, now we're both up there, rubbing shoulders on the same stage. "I'm telling you. Canelo-Crawford, with me and Zurdo on the undercard ... 100 per cent. "We can't get comfortable, though." That's because a shock loss to the unfancied but dangerous Squeo would up-end all those plans. But Opetaia, who qualified for the Olympics as a 16-year-old and fought at the London 2012 Games at 17, has never got ahead of himself. A fourth generation boxer on his dad's side and third generation on his mum's, Opetaia can't remember a time he wasn't near a ring. "It wasn't a specific moment; I grew up in it, it was life," he said. "Training, boxing, sparring and punching on. "When I was a little boy I'd go for runs before school then the gym straight after. "There was no homework for me. My homework was training. "That's what's pushing me for the unification fights so much. "I'm always pushing up, my whole life just wanting to win, win." The Convention Centre card also features Brisbane-based Irish light heavyweight world title prospect Conor Wallace, rejuvenated super welterweight Ben Mahoney, and entertaining Paris Olympic heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Best buds: how Opetaia and Crawford hit it off
The two-way respect earned in an evening with Terence 'Bud' Crawford could pay off in the form of a Las Vegas stadium unification blockbuster for Jai Opetaia. Australian cruiserweight Opetaia (27-0) defends his IBF and The Ring belts on the Gold Coast on Sunday against Italian knockout artist Claudio Squeo (17-0). If successful he'll then accelerate his push for more belts, a quest dating back almost three years since his upset win against Mairis Briedis despite breaking his jaw in two places. Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez will defend his WBA and WBO belts later this month and is Opetaia's target, potentially on the undercard to Crawford's super-fight against Canelo Alvarez at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on September 25. Crawford, who took Jeff Horn's welterweight title in 2018, will aim to become a five-weight world champion and the first undisputed three-weight champion. Opetaia has never fought in the United States but has earnt a reputation in the UK and has Saudi billionaire and boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh in his corner after a series of pulverising knockout wins in both countries. Manager Mick Francis plans to head to the United States after Sunday's fight to pursue a deal, buoyed after a meeting with future Hall of Famer Crawford on the Gold Coast last week. "After dealing with him, he's a real one of the sport and he realised I was too," Opetaia told AAP of his time with Crawford on the American's promotional tour. "He knows who I am, for the right reasons." Crawford, among the world's top pound-for-pound talents, defied the poverty, crime and violence associated with his Omaha upbringing and now operates a not-for-profit gym there. NSW-born Opetaia has enjoyed recent visits to conduct junior clinics in Samoa, a heritage he celebrates heavily on fight nights. "There's a lot of similarities in how he thinks, it was refreshing to hear his take," Opetaia said. "I've looked up to him, now we're both up there, rubbing shoulders on the same stage. "I'm telling you. Canelo-Crawford, with me and Zurdo on the undercard ... 100 per cent. "We can't get comfortable, though." That's because a shock loss to the unfancied but dangerous Squeo would up-end all those plans. But Opetaia, who qualified for the Olympics as a 16-year-old and fought at the London 2012 Games at 17, has never got ahead of himself. A fourth generation boxer on his dad's side and third generation on his mum's, Opetaia can't remember a time he wasn't near a ring. "It wasn't a specific moment; I grew up in it, it was life," he said. "Training, boxing, sparring and punching on. "When I was a little boy I'd go for runs before school then the gym straight after. "There was no homework for me. My homework was training. "That's what's pushing me for the unification fights so much. "I'm always pushing up, my whole life just wanting to win, win." The Convention Centre card also features Brisbane-based Irish light heavyweight world title prospect Conor Wallace, rejuvenated super welterweight Ben Mahoney, and entertaining Paris Olympic heavyweight Teremoana Teremoana.
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Popovic delivers special message after Japan success
The Japan hoodoo is over, but Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has a stern message for his players: The job isn't done yet. Australia all but locked in a spot for the 2026 World Cup after Aziz Behich's 90th-minute stunner lifted the Socceroos to a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday night. The 'all but' quantifier comes due to the fact Saudi Arabia are technically still in the hunt to steal the Socceroos' automatic qualifier spot. The Saudis (13 points) kept their hopes alive by beating Bahrain 2-0 just hours after the Socceroos' win. Australia (16 points, plus eight goal difference) are still well and truly in the box seat. But if Saudi Arabia (13 points, zero goal difference) beat the Socceroos by five goals or more in Jeddah next Tuesday in the final match of the current qualifying phase, Australia will miss out on an automatic World Cup berth. Given Saudi Arabia have scored only six goals across nine matches, that scenario is unlikely, but Popovic doesn't want to take any chances. "We need to do a job in Saudi," Popovic said. "We're in a great position, but we have to finish it off. "It's been a really intense period since I've come in, but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do. "We're very close now to achieving our goal." Thursday night's win in front of 57,226 fans marked the Socceroos' first victory over Japan since 2009, and inflicted a first loss on the Samurai Blue since their defeat to Iran at the Asian Cup in 2023. But it was far from a pretty display by the Socceroos against what was effectively a Japanese B team. Given they had already secured their World Cup berth, Japan's starting XI against Australia featured a total of nine players with four caps or less, including three debutants. Despite that Japan dominated for almost the entire match, finishing with 69 per cent possession and creating the better chances until Behich's late heroics. Popovic was proud of his team's defensive grit and believed getting a win over Japan - albeit against a severely depleted opponent - was significant. "They (our players) know they've done something that hasn't been done for quite a while," Popovic said. "We kept a clean sheet, and we've done something that many Australian sides have found hard to do. "Japan have been on a wonderful run and there's a reason for that. "They are the best (in Asia) and we want to challenge them to be the best. "We shouldn't shy away from that and hopefully we take a big step forward knowing we can beat Japan." Socceroos defender Milos Degenek said his side wouldn't take an ultra conservative approach into the game against Saudi Arabia. "You don't go into any game thinking, 'Oh, we just don't want to lose 4-0'," Degenek said. "You go in wanting to win the game. Very simple." The Japan hoodoo is over, but Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has a stern message for his players: The job isn't done yet. Australia all but locked in a spot for the 2026 World Cup after Aziz Behich's 90th-minute stunner lifted the Socceroos to a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday night. The 'all but' quantifier comes due to the fact Saudi Arabia are technically still in the hunt to steal the Socceroos' automatic qualifier spot. The Saudis (13 points) kept their hopes alive by beating Bahrain 2-0 just hours after the Socceroos' win. Australia (16 points, plus eight goal difference) are still well and truly in the box seat. But if Saudi Arabia (13 points, zero goal difference) beat the Socceroos by five goals or more in Jeddah next Tuesday in the final match of the current qualifying phase, Australia will miss out on an automatic World Cup berth. Given Saudi Arabia have scored only six goals across nine matches, that scenario is unlikely, but Popovic doesn't want to take any chances. "We need to do a job in Saudi," Popovic said. "We're in a great position, but we have to finish it off. "It's been a really intense period since I've come in, but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do. "We're very close now to achieving our goal." Thursday night's win in front of 57,226 fans marked the Socceroos' first victory over Japan since 2009, and inflicted a first loss on the Samurai Blue since their defeat to Iran at the Asian Cup in 2023. But it was far from a pretty display by the Socceroos against what was effectively a Japanese B team. Given they had already secured their World Cup berth, Japan's starting XI against Australia featured a total of nine players with four caps or less, including three debutants. Despite that Japan dominated for almost the entire match, finishing with 69 per cent possession and creating the better chances until Behich's late heroics. Popovic was proud of his team's defensive grit and believed getting a win over Japan - albeit against a severely depleted opponent - was significant. "They (our players) know they've done something that hasn't been done for quite a while," Popovic said. "We kept a clean sheet, and we've done something that many Australian sides have found hard to do. "Japan have been on a wonderful run and there's a reason for that. "They are the best (in Asia) and we want to challenge them to be the best. "We shouldn't shy away from that and hopefully we take a big step forward knowing we can beat Japan." Socceroos defender Milos Degenek said his side wouldn't take an ultra conservative approach into the game against Saudi Arabia. "You don't go into any game thinking, 'Oh, we just don't want to lose 4-0'," Degenek said. "You go in wanting to win the game. Very simple." The Japan hoodoo is over, but Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has a stern message for his players: The job isn't done yet. Australia all but locked in a spot for the 2026 World Cup after Aziz Behich's 90th-minute stunner lifted the Socceroos to a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth on Thursday night. The 'all but' quantifier comes due to the fact Saudi Arabia are technically still in the hunt to steal the Socceroos' automatic qualifier spot. The Saudis (13 points) kept their hopes alive by beating Bahrain 2-0 just hours after the Socceroos' win. Australia (16 points, plus eight goal difference) are still well and truly in the box seat. But if Saudi Arabia (13 points, zero goal difference) beat the Socceroos by five goals or more in Jeddah next Tuesday in the final match of the current qualifying phase, Australia will miss out on an automatic World Cup berth. Given Saudi Arabia have scored only six goals across nine matches, that scenario is unlikely, but Popovic doesn't want to take any chances. "We need to do a job in Saudi," Popovic said. "We're in a great position, but we have to finish it off. "It's been a really intense period since I've come in, but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do. "We're very close now to achieving our goal." Thursday night's win in front of 57,226 fans marked the Socceroos' first victory over Japan since 2009, and inflicted a first loss on the Samurai Blue since their defeat to Iran at the Asian Cup in 2023. But it was far from a pretty display by the Socceroos against what was effectively a Japanese B team. Given they had already secured their World Cup berth, Japan's starting XI against Australia featured a total of nine players with four caps or less, including three debutants. Despite that Japan dominated for almost the entire match, finishing with 69 per cent possession and creating the better chances until Behich's late heroics. Popovic was proud of his team's defensive grit and believed getting a win over Japan - albeit against a severely depleted opponent - was significant. "They (our players) know they've done something that hasn't been done for quite a while," Popovic said. "We kept a clean sheet, and we've done something that many Australian sides have found hard to do. "Japan have been on a wonderful run and there's a reason for that. "They are the best (in Asia) and we want to challenge them to be the best. "We shouldn't shy away from that and hopefully we take a big step forward knowing we can beat Japan." Socceroos defender Milos Degenek said his side wouldn't take an ultra conservative approach into the game against Saudi Arabia. "You don't go into any game thinking, 'Oh, we just don't want to lose 4-0'," Degenek said. "You go in wanting to win the game. Very simple."
