Moloney (29-4, 20 KOs) brings plenty of championship experience. He captured the vacant WBO bantamweight title with a majority decision over Vincent Astrolabio in May 2023 and made one successful defense, edging Saul Sanchez by majority decision before losing the belt to Japan’s Yoshiki Takei a year later.
Although Moloney has dropped three of his last five bouts, those defeats came against high-level opposition. He lost decisions to Takei and unbeaten Japanese star Tenshin Nasukawa, while his other career losses came against former IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez and pound-for-pound standout Naoya Inoue.
Rather than fading after surrendering his world title, Moloney rebounded with consecutive victories over Herlan Gomez and Andre Donovan, the latter earning him the vacant IBF Inter-Continental bantamweight title in April.
The signing gives Zuffa another proven veteran who remains competitive at the world level. While Moloney is no longer viewed as one of the elite fighters at 118 pounds, he is a recognizable former world champion capable of beating fringe contenders and providing entertaining fights against the right opposition.
With bantamweight lacking depth compared to several other divisions, Moloney could still find himself in meaningful fights as Zuffa continues expanding its roster. His experience, willingness to face top competition, and established name make him a useful addition, even if few would favor him against the division’s current champions.
Read the full article here
