Andrew Moloney determined to take the belt back from Joshua Franco in the rematch
The former WBA champion gets the chance to avenge his defeat to Franco, who beat him by unanimous decision earlier this year.
Super flyweights Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) and Joshua Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) are set to do battle again this weekend, and Moloney reflected upon the fight and his defeat to Franco earlier this year by saying:
“I have watched the fight back a few times and it's a hard watch. It was really frustrating and nowhere near the level of my usual performances; in fact, I think it was the worst performance of my career. It has been noted that I sustained a few injuries during the fight which also made it much more difficult to finish how I started."
Many pundits expected Moloney to get past Franco in the first fight and it was a surprise when Franco put on a controlled and collected performance to take the title away from the champion, showcasing both a variety of combinations and educated pressure, but Moloney insists that the Texas native didn't bring anything more than what he expected on the night.
"He didn't really surprise me or bring anything I wasn't expecting. I had watched footage of him prior to the first fight and he basically came in exactly as I thought I would. I felt it was more a case of my performance not being what it should have been that lost me the fight."
This will be only the third time in his career that Moloney has fought outside of his native Australia, but having had the experience of fighting all over the world as an amateur, and with the first fight being in Las Vegas, Moloney insisted that adapting to the effects of travel and the subtle alterations in the logistics of his prefight routine that this brings has never been an issue before and that it certainly will not be for this rematch either:
“I have travelled many times as an amateur, competing all over the world, so it wasn't really too different for me, but I do think that this time around I feel more comfortable having recently experienced fighting in the USA and in the bubble that we have had to be in. We came over nice and early this time around and have been here for around six and a half weeks, so have had plenty of time to acclimatise again.”
On Saturday, Moloney has the chance to avenge the loss and the disappointment of his American debut by recapturing the title, something which he explained that he was determined to accomplish:
"The loss to Franco has really lit a fire inside of me and has made me so hungry that I was immediately back in the gym after the fight. There was no rest period and I believe that I have had the best training camp possible going into the rematch.
"I think this time around Franco will have the confidence to come at me with more pressure to try and break me down, but we have a great gameplan and are prepared for what he has to bring"
"This time I am going to win, and win convincingly "
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Date: Saturday, Nov. 14 | Start Time: 7:00 pm ET 4:00 am GMT Location: Top Rank Bubble, Las Vegas, NV TV: ESPN | Stream: ESPN+ (Prelims) | Premier Sports