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.”
