Inoue vs. Moloney: Jason will have big problems against Naoya on October 31st

By Boxing News - 10/24/2020 - Comments

By Barry Holbrook: Jason Moloney will need to put in the fight of his career when he challenges IBF/WBA bantamweight champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue next Saturday on October 31st in ‘The Bubble’ at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Inoue vs. Jason ‘Mayhem’ Moloney card will be shown on ESPN+ starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT. This is the biggest fight of Moloney’s six-year pro career. If he can beat Inoue, it would be a huge win, and it would set up a nice paying rematch between them.

Inoue is the king of the hill at 118. So there would be no point for Moloney to move on if he beats him. A rematch would be perfect for Jason, as it would give him a chance to show that his win wasn’t a fluke.

But at this point, it’s going to take a special performance from Moloney to defeat Inoue, who is looking unbeatable right now.

Arum predicts Inoue-Moloney could be Fight of the Year

Image: Inoue vs. Moloney: Jason will have big problems against Naoya on October 31st

“We are going to do the Jason Moloney vs. Naoya Inoue in the “Bubble”, said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum.

“Inoue’s papers and visa are cleared. Jason will fight Inoue on October 31st. I cannot wait to watch the Inoue-Moloney fight. That could be the fight of the year.”

If Moloney doesn’t keep his hands up, he could end up getting knocked out quickly by Inoue next Saturday on Holloween. The problem that Moloney has is he’s so easy to hit. He likes to pressure his opponents and try and work them over on the inside. That’s a style Moloney has done well with apart from his 12 round split decision loss to Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2018.

The 29-year-old Australian Moloney (21-1, 18 KOs) is the underdog coming into this fight against ‘Monster’ Inoue, and he’s going to have to figure out a way not to get hit by the best shots from the Japanese star.

Moloney is getting a title shot against Inoue because the Japanese star could not take on WBO 118-lb champion John Riel Casimero in a unification match earlier this year.

Casimero opted to defend against Duke Micah on the Charlo brothers pay-per-view card on Showtime last month on September 26th. Inoue needed an opponent, and #2 WBA and #3 IBF Moloney was the ideal contender to step in and face him.

Naoya will be hard to beat

Image: Inoue vs. Moloney: Jason will have big problems against Naoya on October 31st

Inoue, 27, is coming off a hard 12 round unanimous decision win over former four-division world champion Nonito Donaire last November in Saitama, Japan. Although Inoue won the fight by a set of wide scores, he staggered by a right-hand from Donaire in the 8th, and he suffered a fractured eye ridge, broken nose, and a bad cut.

Donaire was hoping for a rematch with Inoue, but it’s not surprising that he chose not to give him one. It’s a lot after for Inoue to take on Moloney, who doesn’t possess the same power as Donaire.