Tag: Joshua Franco

Terence Crawford to Kell Brook: ‘I’m not the one that quit in a fight’

Terence Crawford responded to an earlier comment by Kell Brook by saying he’s not the one who ever quit in a fight.

Terence Crawford took a jab at Kell Brook at the final news conference before their fight Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Kell Brook said on a Zoom call Monday that he’d either knock out Crawford or make him quit on his stool. At the news conference, Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) pointed out that Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) is the one who couldn’t finish two of his fights.

The Briton was stopped by Gennadiy Golovkin (fifth round) and Errol Spence Jr. (11th) in consecutive fights in 2016 and 2017.

“He’s gonna have to, you know what I mean, live up to his words,” Crawford said. “You know, I’m not the one that ever quit in a fight. You know, I can’t say the same for him, though.”

Terence Crawford (left) and Kell Brook face off Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mikey Williams / Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

Brook, who suffered broken facial bones in both of his knockout losses, responded to Crawford in an interview with BoxingScene.com.

“I’ve had the bone broken in an eye and not been able to see,” he said. “That’s his opinion. Let’s see if he can make me quit. Let’s see if he can break me, because, you know, I’m willing to die in that ring. I’m telling you now, this is sh– or bust for me.

“Everything’s gone into this fight, everything. It’s not a joke. This is a serious game.”

Crawford will be making the fourth defense of the welterweight title he won by stopping Jeff Horn in nine rounds in June 2018.

On the undercard, Joshua Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) will face Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round junior bantamweight fight, their second meeting in five months. Franco defeated Moloney by a unanimous decision on June 23.

The card will be televised on ESPN.

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Terence Crawford to Kell Brook: ‘I’m not the one that quit in a fight’

Terence Crawford responded to an earlier comment by Kell Brook by saying he’s not the one who ever quit in a fight.

Terence Crawford took a jab at Kell Brook at the final news conference before their fight Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Kell Brook said on a Zoom call Monday that he’d either knock out Crawford or make him quit on his stool. At the news conference, Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs) pointed out that Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) is the one who couldn’t finish two of his fights.

The Briton was stopped by Gennadiy Golovkin (fifth round) and Errol Spence Jr. (11th) in consecutive fights in 2016 and 2017.

“He’s gonna have to, you know what I mean, live up to his words,” Crawford said. “You know, I’m not the one that ever quit in a fight. You know, I can’t say the same for him, though.”

Terence Crawford (left) and Kell Brook face off Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mikey Williams / Top Rank Inc via Getty Images

Brook, who suffered broken facial bones in both of his knockout losses, responded to Crawford in an interview with BoxingScene.com.

“I’ve had the bone broken in an eye and not been able to see,” he said. “That’s his opinion. Let’s see if he can make me quit. Let’s see if he can break me, because, you know, I’m willing to die in that ring. I’m telling you now, this is sh– or bust for me.

“Everything’s gone into this fight, everything. It’s not a joke. This is a serious game.”

Crawford will be making the fourth defense of the welterweight title he won by stopping Jeff Horn in nine rounds in June 2018.

On the undercard, Joshua Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) will face Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round junior bantamweight fight, their second meeting in five months. Franco defeated Moloney by a unanimous decision on June 23.

The card will be televised on ESPN.

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Andrew Moloney promises different outcome in rematch with Joshua Franco

Andrew Moloney has promised a different outcome in his rematch with Joshua Franco on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Andrew Moloney promises a different result when he fights Joshua Franco a second time on the Terence Crawford-Kell Brook card Saturday in Las Vegas.

Franco rallied in the later rounds to defeat Moloney by a close unanimous decision on June 23 in the MGM Grand “bubble,” putting the Aussie down in Round 11 to seal his victory.

Moloney felt dizzy and vomited after returning to his dressing room. He was later taken to a hospital, where it was determined that he suffered two perforated eardrums in the fight

“It’s been public knowledge that both of my eardrums were perforated in that first fight,” Moloney said. “Look, I don’t want to make excuses, but it did affect my performance. My balance was affected quite a lot. It affected me from fighting at my best.

“But, look, he won the fight. There’s no excuses. I want to go into this fight and show that I’m much better than I was this first time around and win this rematch and put that behind me.”

Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) performed as billed in the first half of the fight, outboxing Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) to build a lead on two of three cards. However, Franco landed more and more damaging punches as the fight progressed.

The knockdown turned out to be the clincher for Franco, who won 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113. Had Moloney remained on his feet in Round 11, the fight would’ve ended in a majority draw.

Moloney says he’ll leave no doubt in the rematch.

“You’re going to see a much different performance from myself, a different game plan this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance,” he said.

“I can’t give too much away, obviously, in terms of the tactics, but it will be a different fight this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance from myself.”

Meanwhile, Franco is confident after his victory the first time around. The San Antonio fighter has won two consecutive fights since a draw that capped his three-fight series with Oscar Negrete.

“I feel confident because I’ve been in the ring with Andrew Moloney before,” Franco said. “I know what he has. I’m always confident, of course. My training went well. I had a tough training camp, and that also brings my confidence up. I’m just ready for whatever.”

“Very tough preparation in the gym. Eight hard weeks of training. I’m more than ready.”

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Andrew Moloney promises different outcome in rematch with Joshua Franco

Andrew Moloney has promised a different outcome in his rematch with Joshua Franco on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Andrew Moloney promises a different result when he fights Joshua Franco a second time on the Terence Crawford-Kell Brook card Saturday in Las Vegas.

Franco rallied in the later rounds to defeat Moloney by a close unanimous decision on June 23 in the MGM Grand “bubble,” putting the Aussie down in Round 11 to seal his victory.

Moloney felt dizzy and vomited after returning to his dressing room. He was later taken to a hospital, where it was determined that he suffered two perforated eardrums in the fight

“It’s been public knowledge that both of my eardrums were perforated in that first fight,” Moloney said. “Look, I don’t want to make excuses, but it did affect my performance. My balance was affected quite a lot. It affected me from fighting at my best.

“But, look, he won the fight. There’s no excuses. I want to go into this fight and show that I’m much better than I was this first time around and win this rematch and put that behind me.”

Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) performed as billed in the first half of the fight, outboxing Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) to build a lead on two of three cards. However, Franco landed more and more damaging punches as the fight progressed.

The knockdown turned out to be the clincher for Franco, who won 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113. Had Moloney remained on his feet in Round 11, the fight would’ve ended in a majority draw.

Moloney says he’ll leave no doubt in the rematch.

“You’re going to see a much different performance from myself, a different game plan this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance,” he said.

“I can’t give too much away, obviously, in terms of the tactics, but it will be a different fight this time around, and I believe a much more dominant performance from myself.”

Meanwhile, Franco is confident after his victory the first time around. The San Antonio fighter has won two consecutive fights since a draw that capped his three-fight series with Oscar Negrete.

“I feel confident because I’ve been in the ring with Andrew Moloney before,” Franco said. “I know what he has. I’m always confident, of course. My training went well. I had a tough training camp, and that also brings my confidence up. I’m just ready for whatever.”

“Very tough preparation in the gym. Eight hard weeks of training. I’m more than ready.”

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Jason Moloney outclasses, stops Leonardo Baez after Round 7

Jason Moloney stopped Leonardo Baez after seven rounds in a scheduled 10-round bantamweight fight Thursday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Jason Moloney fought like a fighter whose twin was upset two days earlier in the same ring.

Moloney, whose brother Andrew lost a decision to Joshua Franco on Tuesday, outclassed and then stopped Leonardo Baez after seven rounds in a scheduled 10-round bantamweight fight Thursday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Moloney, utterly locked in, got the better of the taller, longer Baez in every way.

Inside? He landed vicious body shots that would make any Mexican proud. Boxing? Even in close, he made it difficult for Baez to land cleanly and used his feet throughout to avoid trouble. Taking the initiative? Moloney seemed to land two, three punches before Baez even thought about letting his hands go.

It was the kind of performance he was hoping to turn in after the disappointment of Tuesday, when Andrew not only lost for the first time but was taken to a hospital with two ruptured ear drums.

“This is a big, big step for me toward fighting for another world title,” said Moloney, who lost to Emmanuel Rodriguez in his only fight for a world championship in 2018. “… I think I sent a big message. I knew Baez was a tough challenge. He’s an absolute warrior, as you saw.

“I showed how bad I wanted this. I’m ready for any of the champions at 118 [pounds].”

Baez (18-3, 9 KOs) was what Moloney (21-1, 17 KOs) suggested he was. He came out from the opening bell winging punches, some of which landed.

However, the shorter, but obviously strong Moloney not only stood his ground but got the better of inside exchanges. He sat down on his punches to both the body and head — which caused damage — and then, when he was finished, stopped back or to the said to avoid most of Baez’s biggest shots.

The Mexican tried to maintain pressure on Moloney but simply couldn’t cope with the Australian’s well-rounded set of skills, which left the him both baffled and progressively more battered as the fight went on.

Baez suffered cut over his right eye in Round 3 and another gash opened over the left eye in Round 7. However, blood wasn’t his biggest problem. It was an accumulation of hard, accurate punches that broke him down and made it impossible for him to come out for the start of Round 8.

Baez’s trainer said his fighter had trouble breathing, meaning his conditioning was a problem. That might’ve been the case. However, no one can deny that he was pummeled by a superior fighter.

Moloney led 69-64, 69-94 and 68-65 through seven rounds.

The moment Moloney realized that Baez would remain on his stool he thrust his hands in the air and yelled, “Yes! Yes!” He, like his brother, had always dreamed of fighting at the MGM Grand. And he made the most of the opportunity.

“That was the greatest moment of my career,” he said. “It was tough watching my brother the other night, but I knew I had a job to do. Thank you to my team. I sacrificed so much for six weeks, leaving my fiancée and my baby. I’m just over the moon.”

So was Andrew Moloney, who had to be inspired by his brother’s performance.

“My brother told me he loved me and that he was proud of me,” Jason said. “He’ll be back better than ever. Trust me.”

Abraham Nova outpoints Avery Sparrow on Moloney-Baez card

Abraham Nova outpointed Avery Sparrow on the Jason Moloney-Leonardo Baez card Thursday in Las Vegas.

Abraham Nova continued his march toward a title shot but he probably didn’t frighten any of the beltholders by his performance on Thursday night.

Nova had difficulty with the slick, quick Avery Sparrow, going long periods with little activity, but he did enough to win a unanimous decision in a 10-round junior welterweight fight on the Jason Moloney-Leonard Baez card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The scores were 99-91, 97-93 and 96-94.

Sparrow (10-2, 3 KOs) threw a lot of punches but the vast majority of them hit only air. Still, his output and effective movement proved to be a challenge for Nova, who threw punches aggressively only occasionally.

The best example of that came in Round 8, when Nova (19-0, 14 KOs) stunned Sparrow with a hard right and followed with a flurry that forced his opponent to hold on for dear life. Sparrow, Philadelphia tough, survived and went back to boxing carefully.

In the end, Nova apparently won for a simple reason: He landed more and harder punches in a tactical fight that probably was disappointing for fans expecting to see more from the Puerto Rican slugger.

In other preliminaries, Puerto Rican prospect Orlando Gonzalez (15-0, 10 KOs) put Luis Porozo (15-3, 8 KOs) of Ecuador down twice en route to a unanimous decision victory in an eight-round featherweight bout.

The fight between two technically proficient boxers was largely tactical. Gonzalez was more assertive but had trouble at times with Porozo’s speed and slick skills.

The knockdowns were the difference. In Round 2, the southpaw Gonzalez landed a short, hard left and a grazing left that put Porozo down. Then, in Round 7, a simple left to the body forced Porozo to take a knee.

The scores were 77-73, 77-73 and 76-74.

Also, Vlad Panin (8-1, 4 KOs) of Los Angeles rebounded from his first career setback to defeat Benjamin Whitaker (13-4, 3 KOs) San Antonio by a majority decision in a six-round welterweight bout. The scores were 58-56, 58-56 and 57-57.

Panin lost a unanimous decision to Moises Fuentes in a six-round bout in February.

And, in a scheduled six-round heavyweight fight, Kingsley Ibeh (4-1, 4 KOs) of Nigeria avenged an earlier split-decision loss to Waldo Cortes (5-3, 2 KOs) of Phoenix by stopping Cortes at 1:41 of Round 4.

The ending was strange. Cortes had his left arm draped around the neck of Ibeh, who, in that position, landed five uppercuts. He followed with two rights and a grazing left, which put Cortes down. He was able to get up but couldn’t continue.

Jason Moloney puts brother’s setback aside, focused on tonight

Jason Maloney said he’s shifting focus from his twin brother’s setback Tuesday and focusing on his fight tonight (Thursday).

Jason Moloney is trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

Moloney could only watch nervously from ringside as twin brother Andrew lost a decision to Joshua Franco on Tuesday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He has to put that on a back shelf, though. He has his own fight this evening (Thursday) in the same ballroom.

Jason Moloney faces Leonardo Baez in a scheduled 10-round bantamweight fight in the main event of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN show.

“It was very tough to watch,” Jason Moloney told BoxingScene.com, referring to his brother’s setback. Andrew was defending what the WBA calls its “regular” title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. Jason lost a split decision to Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2018 in his only title fight.

“Obviously, I know how hard he has worked to get to where he is right now and to win that world title,” Jason went on. “It just wasn’t him in there. … I don’t know what went wrong, but he’ll be back. I’m sure he’ll learn a lot from that defeat. He hasn’t shown anywhere near what he’s capable of. He’s got a lot more let in him, and I’m sure he’ll make the adjustments and come back even stronger.

“I know he can become world champion again.”

Jason is trying to compartmentalize what happened Tuesday so he can focus on tonight.

“I’m trying to reserve my energy,” he said. “I’ve got a fight myself, so I just have to sort of numb myself to the situation and stay focused on the task at hand because as hard as it is watching your brother [lose], I’ve got my own career to focus on and my own goals that I wanna achieve as well.

“So, I’ve sort of blocked that out and tried to stay as focused as I can on my fight.”

And for those who might be expecting another upset?

“I’m already a really driven and motivated guy,” the Aussie said. “But I know people are writing us off now, and I’m here to prove what we can do. It gives me just even more hunger, even more desire to go out there and do what I came to do.”

Tonight’s care begins at 8 p.m. ET.

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Now it’s Jason Moloney’s turn to roll the dice in Las Vegas

Australian Jason Moloney faces Leonard Baez in a 10-round bantamweight fight Thursday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Australian Andrew Moloney’s U.S. debut didn’t go well Tuesday. Now it’s twin brother Jason’s turn.

Andrew Moloney was upset by Joshua Franco in his U.S. debut at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, losing a close, but unanimous decision and reportedly suffering two ruptured ear drums to boot.

Jason Moloney watched nervously from ringside, undoubtedly feeling helpless as Franco overwhelmed Andrew late in the fight.

The roles will be reversed on Thursday, as Jason will (20-1, 17 KOs) face Leonardo Baez (18-2, 9 KOs) of Mexico in a 10-round bantamweight bout in a tightly controlled ballroom without spectators because of the coronavirus.

Jason had been scheduled to face Oscar Negrete, the Colombian brawler who went three grueling fights with Franco. However, Negrete pulled out because of a detached retina and Baez stepped in.

Australian Jason Moloney faces Leonard Baez in a 10-round bantamweight fight Thursday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mikey Williams / Top Rank

Baez on Wednesday weighed in at 118.3 pounds — .3 over the limit – but the fight will go on as scheduled. Moloney weighed 117.7.

“The switch in opponents doesn’t bother me at all,” Moloney told BoxingScene.com. “Everyone in the division is in my sights, and I want to start winning world titles. To do that, I have to beat Leonardo Baez on June 25. That’s the way I look at it.”

Moloney, 29, already came close to winning a world title. He traveled to Orlando, Florida, to challenge for then-bantamweight titleholder Emanuel Rodriguez’s belt but left with a split-decision loss.

He has won his three subsequent fights by knockout, all in Australia.

Baez, a 24-year-old from Mexicali, hasn’t fought at the highest level. He had fought strictly in Mexico until last year, when he outpointed a prospect named Alberto Melian. He is coming off a shutout eight-round decision over veteran Moises Flores in February, his biggest victory to date.

His style is similar to that of Negrete, which makes Moloney’s adjustment a little easier.

“We are coming over here in great shape and ready to fight anyone in the world,” Moloney said. “He’s quite filled out for the division, a lot bigger [than Negrete]) but similarly aggressive style. We’re focused and ready for this fight.”

The weights in the other five fights on the card: Abraham Nova (131.9) vs. Avergy Sparrow (131.5), 10 rounds, junior lightweights; Orlando Gonzalez (126) vs. Luis Porozo (125), eight rounds, featherweights; Vlad Panin (149) vs. Benjamin Whitaker (149), six rounds, welterweights; Clay Burns (143.6) vs. Reymond Yanong (143), six rounds, welterweights; and Waldo Cortes (246.9) vs. Kingsley Ibeh (286.4), six rounds, heavyweights.

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Andrew Moloney released from hospital in good condition

Andrew Moloney, who was taken to a local hospital after his loss to Joshua Franco on Tuesday, has been released and is OK.

Andrew Moloney reportedly is OK.

The Australian fighter was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons after he was upset by Joshua Franco in a 12-round junior bantamweight fight Tuesday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Moloney felt dizzy and vomited after returning to his dressing room, according to ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna, who reported that the fighter was alert when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Moloney reportedly suffered perforated eardrums, although that has not been confirmed. He was released from the hospital overnight.

“He is out of the hospital now,” Moloney’s manager, Tony Tolj, told BoxingScene.com. “[Tuesday] just wasn’t his night, but [he] is now released from the hospital.”

Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) lost a unanimous decision to Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) in the main event on Tuesday. Moloney’s twin brother, Jason Moloney (20-1, 17 KOs), fights Leonardo Baez (18-2, 9 KOs) of Mexico in the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN main event Thursday.

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Joshua Franco rallies to stun Andrew Moloney by decision

Joshua Franco rallied to defeat previous unbeaten Andrew Moloney by a unanimous decision in a 12-round 115-pound fight Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Andrew Moloney dreamed of fighting in the main event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It turned out to be a nightmare.

Joshua Franco pulled off a significant upset Tuesday night on ESPN, rallying from an early deficit to defeat the much-hyped Australian by a close, but unanimous decision in a thrilling 12-round junior bantamweight fight.

They fought for what the WBA calls its “regular” title, which Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize. Roman Gonzalez is the WBA champion.

“[It’s] a great feeling,” Franco said. “It still hasn’t hit me yet. It’s surreal. I can’t believe I’m a world champion. I worked so hard for this. I knew the hard work would pay off in the end.”

It certainly paid off in the fight.

Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) came to the U.S. with the reputation of being an excellent boxer. And he looked the part in the first half of the fight, sticking, moving, pounding Franco to the body to control the early rounds as twin brother and fellow fighter Jason nervously watched from ringside.

The Aussie led on two cards after six rounds (59-55 and 58-56). The third judge had it even (57-57) at that point.

Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) entered the fight with the reputation of being a grinder, a tough, fit guy with solid skills who throws a lot of shots. The San Antonio product started slowly but methodically morphed into that punching machine, landing more and more damaging blows as the fight progressed.

He was in charge by Round 10, when Moloney’s face began to look battered and he suffered a cut above his right eye. In Round 11, Franco scored what would be the deciding knockdown, the result of a multi-punch, head-snapping combination that forced Moloney to touch his gloves to the canvas.

The 12th and final round was competitive, leaving the outcome in doubt when the final bell rang to end the best fight of the Top Rank summer series.

The final scores: 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113. Had Moloney not gone down, the two 114-113 scores would’ve 114-114 and the fight would’ve been a majority draw.

When the scores were announced, Franco smiled broadly, thrust his arms in the air, jumped up and down and then gave trainer Robert Garcia a bear hug in celebration. And why not? He had instantly become a major player at 115 pounds.

“I feel little by little I was breaking him down,” Franco said. “I could here him make little noises when I hit him, so I knew little by little I would get to him.”

Maloney was devastated but optimistic afterward.

“It just wasn’t my night tonight,” he said. “This was not the best version of Andrew Moloney, but full credit to Joshua Franco. He deserved to win the title with his effort. He closed the fight strong, like a true champion.”

“I’ll be back. One loss won’t define me.”

In preliminaries, featherweight contender Christopher Diaz (26-2, 16 KOs) of Puerto Rico gave Jason Sanchez (15-2, 8 KOs) of Albuquerque a boxing lesson en route to a clear unanimous decision in a 10-round bout.

Diaz, quick, athletic and skillful, picked Sanchez apart from beginning to end. The Barranquitas product landed consistently from a distance and used his feet to thwart most of Sanchez’s advances.

Sanchez did good work when he got inside and let his hands go but Diaz allowed that to happen infrequently, which assured his victory.

The scores were 98-92, 97-93 and 98-92.

Diaz has won two consecutive fights since losing two out three in 2018 and last year. Masayuki Ito defeated him by a wide decision to win a vacant junior lightweight title and Shakur Stevenson did the same in a 10-round featherweight fight.

Diaz hopes to get another shot at a title soon.

Also, Miguel Contreras (11-0, 6 KOs) of Bakersfield, California outworked Rolando Vargas (5-1, 5 KOs) of Milwaukee to win a unanimous decision in a fast-paced six-round junior welterweight fight. All three judges had it 58-56, four rounds to two.

And, in a six-round heavyweight fight, Helaman Olguin (8-3, 3 KOs) of South Jordan, Utah defeated Adam Stewart (8-1-1, 5 KOs) of Phoenix by a majority decision. The scores were 57-57, 58-56 and 58-56.