By Ian S Palmer
There’s more ring action this Thursday June 23rd when Jason Moloney of Australia engages in a 10-round bantamweight bout with late replacement Leonardo Baez of Mexico. The contests takes place at the Bubble at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas can be seen live in America on ESPN and ESPN Deportes while fans in Canada can catch it on TSN. Moloney last fought in November when he stopped Dixon Flores in the second round. Baez’s last action came in February when he beat Moises Flores via an eight-round unanimous decision.
The 29-year-old Moloney enters the ring with a mark of 20-1 with 17 Kos. His lone defeat came at the hands of IBF World Champion Emmanuel Rodriguez of Puerto Rico in October, 2018 when he dropped a split decision. Moloney turned pro in 2014 after an amateur career and has boxed 101 rounds. Since turning pro he’s won the WBA Oceania Bantamweight Title.
Moloney’s from Mitcham, Victoria, down under and this will be just his second bout in America and out of his homeland. He’s shown solid power up to now with a current knockout ratio of 81 per cent and has won three straight contests by stoppage. However, his only notable opponent so far really has been Rodriguez and he fell just short. Moloney stands 5-feet-5-inches but there’s no reach listed.
He’s also won a few regional belts along the way including the British Commonwealth, and WBA Oceania Super Bantamweight Title. He’s also the twin brother of former WBA Champion Andrew Moloney, who lost his title June 23rd via a close unanimous decision to Joshua Franco.
Moloney was originally supposed to meet Oscar Negrete but he withdrew due to an eye injury and is now facing Baez. Negrete recently fought a trilogy against Franco with a loss and two draws so perhaps Moloney has caught a break here. However, a Moloney vs Negrete showdown may have been a better fight for the fans.
Leonardo Baez is just 24 years old and climbs through the ring ropes at 18-2 with 9 Kos. He turned pro in 2013 as a 17-year-old and has boxed 93 rounds since. Along the way he’s captured the NABA Super Bantamweight Title and has won his last six fights. His only recognizable opponents to most fans are Flores and Edixon Perez.
Baez is 5-feet-9-inches tall with a 68.5-inch reach so has a four-inch height advantage on Moloney. His power is average with just a 42.3 per cent knockout ratio. Baez’s losses came to Julio Cesar Martinez by second-round TKO in 2016 and a unanimous 10-round decision to Alfredo Vargas in 2018. This will be his third fight on American soil.
Prediction…
Both Baez and Moloney possess good basic skills with Moloney having the edge in power and arguably a better chin. He doesn’t just rely on the big punch though as he mixes up his attack and is pretty good defensively. There’s already been a few upsets since boxing returned during this pandemic though and he can’t afford to make the same mistake his brother did this week which is to take his foot off the gas. Moloney needs to get off to a fast start and keep it up. If he does, he should head home with a victory under his belt.
