Above: Jason Moloney (left) bled for the cause against Saul Sanchez. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

By Anthony Cocks

Jason Moloney survives scare against spirited Saul Sanchez

WBO bantamweight titleholder Jason “Mayhem” Moloney had his hands full in the first defense of his belt against Saul “The Beast” Sanchez at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada, on January 13.

The 33-year-old Australian, who is ranked No. 1 by The Ring at 118 pounds, had to overcome a cut caused by a head clash in the third round to secure the win by majority decision with scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114.

Sanchez (20-3, 12 KOs) was taking a big step up in class but wasn’t out of place against the elite of the division. The 26-year-old Californian put up a spirited challenge, but the more experienced Moloney dug deep in the championship rounds to pull out the win.

“I always prepare myself physically and mentally for the toughest fight of my life, and now that I’m the champion I know that every opponent is going to be extremely hungry to try and win my title and become a champion,” Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs) told The Ring.

Emmanuel Rodriguez (left) holds the IBF bantamweight belt after beating Melvin Lopez. (Photo by Amanda Westcott/Showtime)

“As I showed, there isn’t going to be many that are as hungry as I am. I’ve worked my whole life to become a champion, and I’m not letting anyone take this away from me.” 

Next up for Moloney, providing he quickly recovers from his cuts and bruises, will be a fight on the undercard of the lightweight fight between former world champions George Kambosos Jr. (21-2, 10 KOs) and Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) at RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia, on May 12. 

In an ideal world, the man standing in the opposite corner would be IBF beltholder Emmanuel Rodriguez (22-2, 13 KOs). The 31-year-old Puerto Rican, who The Ring ranks at No. 2, handed Moloney his first loss by split decision six years ago. The winner of a fight between the pair would be crowned the Ring Magazine bantamweight champion.

Whoever he ultimately ends up facing, Moloney says he will be ready and raring to go.

“Yes, absolutely!” he said. “I’ve never been so sore after a fight, but there’s nothing serious. I’ll have a week or two to let my body rest and I’ll be back in the gym hungry to improve. I am determined to have a very active and successful year. Sixteen weeks is a perfect turnaround and you bet, I’ll be ready to go!”

Rohan Murdock wins fans in losing effort

Super middleweight Rohan “No Mercy” Murdock (27-3, 19 KOs) may have come up short against The Ring’s No. 2-ranked 168-pound contender, Christian “Solide” Mbilli (26-0, 22 KOs), on the same card as Moloney-Sanchez, but he left many fight fans wanting to see more. 

Rohan Murdock (right) displayed some crowd-pleasing grit in his effort against Christian Mbilli. (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images)

The 31-year-old from the Gold Coast in Queensland landed his fair share of shots but ultimately wilted under the harder blows coming from the undefeated 28-year-old Frenchman of Cameroon extraction. Murdock’s corner, led by longtime coach Chris Carden, withdrew him from the fight at the end of the sixth frame.

Murdock’s manager, Mike Altamura, wants to market him as the “Aussie Arturo Gatti,” and while that’s a high standard to live up to, Murdock has proved he can make for entertaining battles against the better fighters in the division.

Jai Opetaia slated for third fight in five months, with Mairis Briedis rematch set for February 17 

Ring Magazine cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (24-0, 19 KOs) will continue his busy schedule when he takes on Mairis Briedis (28-2, 20 KOs) in a rematch of their classic battle in July 2022 that saw the 28-year-old Australian southpaw overcome two fractures to his jaw to lift the IBF belt by unanimous decision.

The fight will take place on the undercard of the four-belt heavyweight unification bout between Ring Magazine champion Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) and this publication’s No. 1 contender, Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), in Saudi Arabia on February 17.

The IBF stripped Opetaia of its title for facing unranked Ellis Zorro (17-1, 7 KOs) in December instead of Briedis, despite the 39-year-old Latvian veteran being unavailable to fight. The organization will now sanction Opetaia-Briedis II for its vacant title.

Funny old sport, this.

Liam Wilson lands all-action assignment against Oscar Valdez on March 29

Junior lightweight contender Liam “Mr. Damage” Wilson (13-2, 7 KOs) will continue the recent Aussie trend of staying active when he takes on former two-weight titleholder and Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez (31-2, 23 KOs) at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, on March 29.

It will be his third fight in seven months. Wilson rebounded from his thrilling ninth-round TKO loss to Emanuel Navarette last February by notching unanimous decisions over Carlos Maria Alanis and Jackson Jon England in August and December.

“I’ve had a pretty short career, just 15 fights,” the 27-year-old Wilson told The Ring. “I’ve fought some very dangerous men out there, so what’s one more? That’s obviously where my career is headed, and the tough fights bring the best out of me. It’s as simple as that.

“That’s been pretty evident throughout my career. In tough fights, I’ve always come out and shined. The last two fights were stay-busy fights, but they were needed for what’s ahead. I genuinely feel the better the opposition, the better I perform.”

By Yuriko Miyata

Junto Nakatani was caught by surprise when he received The Ring’s 2023 KO of the Year plaque on one of the final days of his California training camp. 

“Wow, this is beautiful and heavy!” Nakatani told me at Manny Robles’ Knockout Boxing Facility in South Gate, California, where he was preparing for his February 24 challenge to WBC bantamweight titleholder Alexandro Santiago in Tokyo. “I will keep working hard to live up to this recognition.” 

(Photo by Yuriko Miyata)

The shy two-division titleholder says the fight that earned him the KO-of-the-Year honor has brought about the new experience of being recognized by non-Japanese fans. One yelled to him at the airport “I saw your knockout!” prior to boarding his flight to Tokyo.

The ruthless overhand left that dropped Andrew Moloney on the spot on May 20 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, earning Nakatani the vacant WBO 115-pound belt, was seen by many American fans watching on ESPN (where they heard commentator Joe Tessitore go into a frenzy) and many more who watched highlights on YouTube.com.

That sensational finishing shot is a version of the “Dragonfish Blow” from the famous boxing manga/anime series Hajime no Ippo by George Morikawa. It’s a move that Nakatani has practiced hundreds of times during his California camps with his perspicacious mentor Rudy Hernandez and Hernandez’s assistant Daisuke Okabe. 

Nakatani flew to Los Angeles on January 4 to reunite with Hernandez and the teammates that started him out in boxing. His journey with them began when he was 15, shortly after abandoning high school in Japan with the resolution to make his mark in boxing. Nakatani remembers feeling excited and blessed by the move, rather than nervous, despite speaking no English during his first three California camps, each lasting about three months. He devoted himself to two gym sessions a day, Monday through Saturday. 

“I put all I had in the gym every day, so that I just fell into bed at Rudy’s home to recover for the next day,” recalled the 26-year-old Nakatani, a mature talent who remains humble as he earns accolades. 

“Los Angeles is the place that reminds me of my beginnings,” said a smiling Nakatani. “What I dreamed then has come true, step by step. Becoming a world champion, becoming a multiple champion, and being recognized by people. I am grateful for the support of everyone around me. I swear to my teenage self that I will keep working hard to further achieve my goals.”  

His discipline has not changed. He’s still the first of his team to arrive at the gym every day. He gives his all, listens to his coach, tries it out to see how it works and learns it in the ring. 

Moloney instantly went limp after the impact of Nakatani’s punch. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images)

“I’ve been in the sport more than 10 years, but I still see something new every day,” he said. “It’s endless, really.” 

The KO artist spent most of January formulating a new weapon to finish Santiago, who outworked and outpointed Filipino legend Nonito Donaire with a good in-and-out attack last summer. 

On February 3, Nakatani put in 12 rounds of sparring with his buddy Adrian Alvarado and amateur standout Steven Navarro, which wrapped up the intense 30-day camp that included 146 total rounds of sparring, before his departure to Japan for the fight.   

“I have nothing left to do here,” he said. “I’ve done everything. Now I can connect more punches smoothly. And I feel equal strength in both hands. I cannot wait to get in the ring.”

There is an aura of confidence around Nakatani. We will see what he prepared with Hernandez and Okabe in the gym on February 24.  

***

Brave bantamweight Kazuki Anaguchi may hate not waking up to see his wife and baby girl again, but God let him rest in peace at 5:38 on February 2, after a 38-day battle for life due to the subdural hematoma he sustained during his grueling 10-round bout with Japanese champion Seiya Tsutsumi on December 26 in Tokyo. The tragic fight was awarded the domestic Fight of the Year by the JBC. Anaguchi was a 23-year-old prospect who had 76 amateur bouts (68-8) and seven pro fights, including six wins (2 KOs) and one loss. 

As one of the observers who was impressed and excited by the all-out battle, I am still in extreme sorrow and extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Tragedies like this remind us that boxers put their lives on the line. It’s also a reminder that everyone involved in the sport and business of boxing must continue to discuss and learn about the safety of the boxers.

Anaguchi (right) was winning on the scorecards going into the second half of the fight against Tsutsumi. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

As many observed, it was the type of back-and-forth fight in which it was hard for any referee to find good points to stop. Anaguchi, the tall southpaw challenger, used his excellent sense of distance to confuse Tsutsumi in the early rounds. A switch-hitter, Tsutsumi caught and dropped Anaguchi with a left hook in the fourth and with a right in the seventh. But Anaguchi was still winning by a narrow margin after eight rounds (76-74, 76-74 and 75-75). The champion knocked him down again with a right hook in the ninth, but the challenger fought back. Both went into the final round assuming that those three minutes would decide the winner. Tsutsumi decked Anaguchi just 10 seconds before the bell to win the fight by close tallies of 94-92, 94-92 and 95-91. But before the final score was announced, Anaguchi was already unable to stand under his own power. Though the signs for medical attention were visible at that time, he remained in the ring until the decision was announced. He got out the ring and walked back to the dressing room with the help of his corner men, but then collapsed. 

JBC’s Tsuyoshi Yasukochi stated that the commission will review the fight again and again to find any evidence they missed to prevent the accident. I believe JBC is one of the best organizations in the world at working with medical experts and educating people around the ring about the health and safety of boxers. The Japanese monthly Boxing Magazine collaborated with them to run an instructive series on the subject for five years back in 1997 when two ring fatalities occurred back-to-back. 

The brain surgeons studying damage caused by getting hit in the head remarked on some important facts. Any small bleeding in the brain may occur from a punch. And the longer the fight goes, the more risk there is of worsening the bleeding. We know that most boxers are too brave and determined to quit. Their fighting spirits sometimes cover up what is going on inside their bodies when they are absorbing punches. 

That nature must be considered when developing measures to save those boxers and this sport.

By Ryan Songalia

The bad news is that the Philippines doesn’t currently have any world titleholders. The good news is that there literally is nowhere to go but up for the country’s boxing culture. 

If it’s always darkest before dawn, then the sun should be peaking over the horizon for Philippine boxing. For the second straight year, the country began the year with a grand total of zero titleholders, as the sobering reality of post-Pacquiao life continues to set in. Who will rise up and make a run at a world title next? Here is a look at five boxers who have a real shot at ending the drought.

Charly Suarez
16-0 (9 KOs) – Junior lightweight

If not for an unlucky “break,” Suarez would have gotten his title opportunity already. The 35-year-old Suarez, of San Isidro, Davao del Norte, was tentatively scheduled to fight WBO titleholder Emmanuel Navarrete but broke his right hand in his U.S. debut against Yohan Vasquez last August. All healed up now, the 2016 Olympian is back in training and looking towards an April 13 ring return, possibly against unbeaten Puerto Rican southpaw Henry Lebron (19-0, 10 KOs).

“I hope Charly is blessed this year in 2024 so we can win the world title,” said Suarez’s manager/trainer Delfin Boholst.

Vincent Astrolabio
19-4 (14 KOs) – Bantamweight

At just 26 years old, Astrolabio has a strong mix of experience and youth that could put him at the right spot at the right time. The power-puncher from General Santos City came up short in his first world title opportunity, falling to Jason Moloney by majority decision in a bid for the vacant WBO bantamweight title last May, but any thoughts of decline were dispelled when he traveled to Thailand just three months later and demolished Navapon Khaikanha in 11 rounds to win a WBC bantamweight eliminator.

Astrolabio has another tough road ahead as he attempts to secure a second shot. He will be next in line for the winner between WBC titleholder Alexandro Santiago and unbeaten former titleholder Junto Nakatani, who meet on February 24 in Japan. Sean Gibbons, president of MP Promotions, says the fans shouldn’t count Astrolabio out against either one.

“It’s not out of the realm of possibility,” said Gibbons. “The guy can punch and he’s just peaking at the right time. I like his chances.”

Jerwin Ancajas
34-3-2 (23 KOs) – Bantamweight

Don’t count Ancajas out just yet. At 32, the former IBF junior bantamweight titleholder from Panabo City may be heading into the home stretch of his career, but he showed in his bantamweight debut last June that he can still put his punches together, stopping Wilner Soto in five rounds. Now the southpaw will head to enemy territory to attempt to lift the WBA title from Takuma Inoue (18-1, 4 KOs) when they meet on the same card as Santiago-Nakatani. Ancajas will have plenty working in his favor in this matchup, as he’s about two inches taller than the 5-foot-4 Inoue with more experience and presumably greater punching power.

He’s also back training at Survival Camp, his home training facility in Cavite province, where he had prepared for his earliest dominant title defenses. His sparring partners include Astrolabio and former title challenger Jeo Santisima. Moving up to the much healthier weight of 118 pounds also is likely to rejuvenate him.

“I think Jerwin has a tremendous shot at beating Takouma Inoue,” said Gibbons. “Jerwin’s at a weight that we should have went to a little earlier. He feels tremendous. I really have high hopes and I think he can get it done.”

Dave Apolinario
19-0 (13 KOs) – Flyweight

One of the benefits to having a foreign co-promoter is that you get experience fighting abroad. That’s been the case for Apolinario, the 25-year-old southpaw from General Santos City. Apolinario, who has been promoted by Sanman Promotions since he turned pro in 2017, signed a co-promotion deal with Japan’s Ohashi Promotions last June and will get his second-straight fight at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall against Thailand’s Tanes Ongjunta on February 22. Rated in the top 15 by three of the four sanctioning bodies and as high as No. 2 with the WBA and No. 3 with the IBF, Apolinario could be in position to challenge one of the titleholders – or fight for a vacant belt if one of the champs decides to make a move in weight.

“We want Akui’s WBA belt or the IBF belt,” said co-promoter Jim Claude Manangquil, referring to the title that Seigo Yuri Akui recently lifted from Artem Dalakian and the IBF belt currently held by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez. “We will wait on our promoter’s decision on which route we will go.”

Mark Magsayo
25-2 (17 KOs) – Junior lightweight

Magsayo is proof that it only takes one strong performance to get back into the picture again. After winning and losing the WBC featherweight title in 2022 and then dropping a tough decision to Brandon Figueroa the following year, Magsayo needed to make a statement against Isaac Avelar. After pushing his mortal limits to make the 126-pound limit, Magsayo’s explosiveness returned as he knocked Avelar cold with one punch in December.

Magsayo has plenty of circumstances working in his favor. He’s a beloved, popular figure among Filipino fans, giving him a base of support. He’s still just 28 years old after 11 years as a pro, and he has a formidable machine behind him, with MP Promotions and TGB Promotions giving him a platform to challenge U.S.-based champions as part of the Premier Boxing Champions cards, which will now be seen on Amazon Prime.

“He’s rejuvenated. He reminds me of the Mark that came to the U.S. to fight Gary Russell,” said Gibbons. “I just think Mark needs a couple of fights, and then he’s ready for a shot at the title.”

Gibbons says Magsayo’s likely next opponent is Eduardo Ramirez (28-3-3, 13 KOs), a tough-as-nails Mexican southpaw who has fought previously for a world title. A win there would put Magsayo right back into the title picture.

“I am on a new mission to be a two-time world champion,” said Magsayo. “I can show more now since my strength is back at this weight class. I want to give people a good show as always, the kind of boxing that you will always remember and you want to watch again and again.”

Other Filipino boxers who may get a shot in 2024:

Christian Araneta (24-2, 19 KOs) – The Cebu City-based boxer looked explosive in his first-round KO of Arvin Magramo on January 26 to win an IBF eliminator at 108 pounds. A clash with IBF titleholder Adrian Curiel (24-4-1, 5 KOs) of Mexico City could be the right style matchup to lead the 28-year-old Araneta to the world title.

Reymart Gaballo (26-1, 21 KOs) – A change in trainer to Nonito Donaire Sr. may be the missing piece that gets him over the hump. Gaballo fell short in his first title fight, a fourth-round KO loss to Nonito Jr. for the WBC bantamweight title. Now rated No. 1 by the WBO, the 27-year-old may be closing in on a shot against a 33-year-old Jason Moloney, whose tough fights are catching up to him.

By Droeks Malan

The year did not start well for globe-trotting South Africans.

To be fair, junior welterweight fringe contender Xolisani Ndongeni was up against it when he took on undefeated contender Arnold Barboza Jr. in Las Vegas in a 10-round bout. 

After a tactical first round, Ndongeni got busy in the second, landing a left uppercut and right hook, but Barboza simply walked through them. With Ndongeni backed to the corner, Barboza landed a big right of his own. When they got back to the center of the ring, Barboza dropped in a one-two followed by another right moments later.

Barbosa and Ndongeni at the weigh-in. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/GBP)

The difference in power was obvious when a right made Ndongeni’s knee buckle in the third. Barboza switched his attack to the body and Ndongeni bravely returned fire, punching with his opponent. A left uppercut caused a small cut on Barboza’s left eye, but it never became a factor.

Ndongeni gritted his teeth and came back with combinations to the head and body, but most did not land flush and Barboza simply answered with the more telling blows.

A right uppercut to the body stopped Ndongeni in his tracks in the fifth. Another straight right to the head wobbled him. He survived, but a right uppercut-left hook combination put him on his heels again toward the end of the round.

Once again, Ndongeni bit down on his mouthpiece and tried to turn things around, but Barboza continued to punish him through the sixth.

By the seventh, the Californian was landing his right uppercut consistently. A left hook to the liver made Ndongeni wince. He was starting to look like a spent force. It came as no surprise when the ringside doctor visited his corner at the end of the round to take a long look.

Ndongeni tried to box in the eighth, throwing jabs, but Barboza simply stepped back, blocked or walked through everything he did. Ndongeni was taking heavy punishment, he didn’t have the power to hurt Barboza, and neither was he able to win rounds. His veteran wits somehow allowed him to make it to the end of the round, but heart and experience weren’t going to be enough.

It therefore came as a welcome relief when his trainer, Mzamo Njekanye, asked the referee to stop the fight during the break.

The 33-year-old Ndongeni still sports a very respectable 33-4 record and has stated his intention to continue his career. There are still many fighters he can beat, but a world title seems a step too far.

Barboza improves to 29-0 with 11 knockouts. It will be interesting to see how he does against the likes of Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney.

Next up was Cape Town-based Lunga Sitemela, who took on Moussa Gholam in Abu Dhabi in a 10-round junior lightweight bout. This, too, did not end well for the South African fighter, as he was stopped in the fourth round in what was shaping up as an interesting battle.

Gholam landed a good left hook in the first. Sitemela put him under pressure, marching forward, landing a straight right and some body shots of his own.

It was more of the same in the second, Sitemela being the aggressor while Gholam worked his left hook to the body and head.

A right from Gholam in the third caused swelling to appear on Sitemela’s left eye. Moments later, Sitemela found the target with a straight right to the head, followed by a right to the body.

As Sitemela started throwing combinations upstairs and downstairs in the fourth, Gholam planted his feet and launched his own attack. He landed a right hook-right uppercut combination, ending with a left hook to the body. That last shot made Sitemela take a knee. He beat the count, but the referee waved the fight over at the 1:23 mark.

It was competitive until the stoppage. One would have liked to see if Sitemela could recover from the knockdown, but it is what it is.

With the win, Moussa Gholam moves to 21-1 with 13 stoppages while Lunga Sitemela drops to 15-2.

Droeks Malan is on Twitter:

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