In an exciting war, WBO bantamweight champion Jason ‘Mayhem’ Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs) dodged a bullet on Saturday night, defeating Saul Sanchez (20-3, 12 KOs) by a 12-round majority decision in a grueling contest at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada.
It was an excellent fight and there definitely should be a rematch, as it was too close. The two judges scored it 8-4 for Moloney had it wrong. There are not eight rounds that you could give to Moloney in this fight. Sanchez landed more punches, harder shots, and a higher percentage.
Moloney took some massive shots from the 26-year-old Sanchez, who repeatedly nailed him with uppercuts and body shots at close quarters. Not giving an inch, the 33-year-old Moloney answered back each time he was hit, albeit with weaker punches but scoring ones nonetheless.
The judges scored it:
– 114-114
– 116-112
– 116-112
It’s difficult to understand how the two judges scored it 8-4 a piece for Moloney because, if anything, it should have been a 114-114 draw, if not a victory for Sanchez, who landed the better shots and had the champion hurt in rounds 6, 8, 9 and 10 from vicious uppercuts.
The boxing fans at ringside booed loudly to voice their disapproval at Moloney being given the win. These were non-partial fans, not Sanchez fans, as he’s from Southern California, a long way away. The fans just saw it as a poor decision, and they’re right. Moloney did NOT deserve the win tonight.
Obviously, Moloney is a popular fighter in Australia, whereas Sanchez doesn’t have a huge fan base. Still, Moloney didn’t deserve the win, and if he’s not capable of fighting better than this, he shouldn’t hold a title. Fans view Sanchez as the uncrowned king and after watching this fight.
Moloney took a beating tonight, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he loses his next fight, even if he’s matched against a bottom-ranked contender.
Top Rank’s highlights seem slanted in Moloney’s favor, showing the good that he did, while not Sanchez’s good movements, which were numerous, weren’t shown.