Andrew Moloney didn’t win a world title, as some outlets have reported, but the unbeaten Aussie took a nice step in his career on Friday.
Moloney, whose twin brother Jason fought on the undercard, scored a stoppage victory when opponent Elton Dharry could no longer fight in the ninth round because his right eye was swollen shut in a junior bantamweight fight at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.
Moloney (21-0, 14 knockouts) won the WBA’s “interim title.” Khalid Yafai is the actual WBA 115-pound titleholder.
“I would have loved a more spectacular finish and knock him out and win more convincingly but I’ve got his belt so I can’t be too upset,” Moloney told the Herald Sun in Australia.
Moloney, 28, said Dharry (24-6-1, 14 KOs) burst his ear drum in the fifth round.
“I still knew where I was and was smart enough to get behind my jab,” Moloney said. “I thought I was going really well until he popped my ear drum, and that wasn’t a good round, but otherwise I felt in control, and things were going to plan.”
Jason Moloney (20-1, 17 KOs) stopped Dixon Flores (16-7-3, 5 KOs) in the second round of a scheduled 10-round bantamweight fight on the same card.
Moloney hopes to build toward a second shot at a world title. In his first try, in October of last year, he lost a split decision to beltholder Emmanuel Rodriguez in Orlando, Florida.