Andrew Moloney is back and the new WBO Global Super flyweight champion

Press Release: December 12, 2023 By Team Moloney-  Former world champion Andrew Moloney is officially back in the winning column after making an easy work against Filipino Judy Flores in their  World Boxing Organization (WBO) Global super flyweight title bout on Saturday, December 9, 2023, at the Pullman Hotel in Albert Park City, Australia.

 

Credit: Team Moloney 

Moloney finished the 10-round regional title bout with a unanimous decision victory. Two of the judges saw the bout 100-90, while one judge had it 97-93, all in favor of Moloney who is the new WBO Global super flyweight champion.

His recent victory also improved the record of the 32-year-old Moloney to 26 wins, 16 knockouts and three defeats which was a convincing comeback from his defeat against Japanese Junto Nakatani for the WBO World super flyweight title in Las Vegas, United States. 

 

Meanwhile, Flores of Sanman Boxing Gym, who was accompanied by Nonito Donaire Sr. as his trainer, suffered his second defeat with 13 wins and seven knockouts.

Moloney controlled the majority of their 10-rounder bout. He utilized his speed, timing, and stiff jabs to force Flores to shift to defensive mode. 

 

Instead of backing down, Flores showed some fight and pressed forward in the following round, pinning Moloney numerous times against the ropes, but he received a warning from the referee for a low blow.

In the third round, Moloney came alive and answered Flores’s aggressiveness with combinations and continued to execute this kind of action in the ensuing rounds. 

 

Despite being behind in the scorecards, Flores fought on, targeting Moloney with body shots, but the Aussie ex-world champion walked through all of it. 

 

Moloney went on to dominate the last remaining rounds, despite receiving a warning also from the referee from an apparent low blow. 

 

Moloney stated “Flores was a tough opponent and I wanted a challenge and I promise everyone I will do everything possible to join my brother as World Champion is 2024”

Material and Photo Courtesy of: Team Moloney Used with permission.

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FITE TO BE RENAMED TRILLER TV

Press Release: December 11, 2023 By Triller TV -  New York, NY (December 11, 2023): FITE is proud to announce its rebranding as TrillerTV, signaling the continuing addition of new sports categories and closer alignment with parent company Triller. The PPV platform, subscription channel, and FAST channel will all continue to deliver the same incredible action, with the same reputation for quality, reliability, and innovation. Now, the massive reach and resources of Triller will power FITE’s continued growth through acquisitions and major sports rights licensing deals.

“TrillerTV is everything you know and trust from FITE, but with doors open for even more sports,” said Michael Weber, Co-Founder and COO of TrillerTV. “Our original name served us well, as have our loyal customers, promoters, and athletes to whom we are super grateful. The time has come to give even more to expand the experience we’ve built from the ground up to celebrate the passion and precision that makes us all love sports.”

Material and Photo Courtesy of: Triller TV Used with permission.

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Haney Dominates Prograis, What's Next?

The story of the WBC Jr. Welterweight world championship bout between two-time world champion Regis Prograis and undefeated former Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world Devin Haney on December 9th in San Francisco, CA beyond what seemed to be legitimate bad blood between the two fighters was whether or not Haney, in his first fight in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division could defeat arguably the top fighter in the division, who because of his style a hybrid mix of hand speed and power, not all that unlike Haney’s, was also one of the more avoided fighters in and around the division.

A crowd of 16,000 spectators filed into the Chase Center for what was one of the more anticipated fights of 2023. What the crowd in attendance saw was a demonstration of a true master class with Haney giving a lecture. From the opening bell, Haney’s hand speed, lateral movement, angles, and timing were on full display. Such attributes kept Prograis at a distance where he simply could not get his punches off with consistency.

Haney’s accuracy was such that the question in this observer's mind became whether or not this fight would end inside the distance. A highlight came in the third round when Haney caught the champion with a perfectly timed right hand to the head that sent Prograis down to the canvas. To Prograis’ credit, he never quit trying to turn the fight in his favor, but to put things simply, he came up against an opponent, who was simply superior in every area, hand speed, defense, angles, timing, technique, and knowing what to do and when to do it.

Despite the tremendous heart that Regis Prograis showed in this fight in taking significant punishment, I did question as the fight entered the middle and late rounds, why it was being allowed to continue. While no one can take anything away from Regis Prograis, there does come a point as a fight progresses that if it becomes clear that one fighter has little more than a puncher’s chance, but said fighter is suffering a beating and is unable to land a fight turning punch, where a decision should be made regarding the long-term welfare of that fighter.

Although Referee Jack Reiss and Prograis' corner appeared to each br gradually moving towards stopping the fight, Prograis did make it to the final bell of the scheduled twelve round world championship bout. A fight that would be won by Haney in winning every round on all three official scorecards making him the new WBC Jr. Welterweight champion of the world and officially making him a two-division world champion as well.

The obvious question for Devin Haney is what will be next for him. It is too soon to say, but it is logical to think of a possibility excluding mandatory title defenses that Haney might attempt to become an undisputed world champion now as a Jr. Welterweight. A task that due to the political landscape in the sport is very difficult to accomplish in one weight division. It is even more rare when a fighter can duplicate that accomplishment in multiple divisions.

For now, Haney will likely spend the remainder of 2023 celebrating his latest career milestone before deciding on who his next opponent might be. As for Regis Prograis, he deserves all the credit in the world for the heart he displayed in this fight and for fighting on till the final bell. While criticism of why the fight was allowed to continue will probably continue for a time, no one can dispute that Prograis showed his mettle in defeat. The former two-time world champion needs time to recover from this setback and to potentially retool before he decides his next move.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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Garcia Bounces Back With KO Win , But Do More Questions Remain?

The fight between Jr. Welterweight contender Ryan Garcia and contender Oscar Duarte on December 2nd should have represented a fresh start and the beginning of a new chapter in Garcia's career as he looked to bounce back from the first loss of his career earlier this year to Gervonta Davis. Instead, much of the attention prior to the bout, which took place at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, did not center on the fight itself or what Duarte brought to the table as an opponent and possible threat to Garcia, but rather on what at best can be described as a contentious relationship between Garcia and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya and by extension his promotional company Golden Boy Promotions. 

It is true that this fight took place under a condition in which this observer cannot recall seeing before, or at least not in this form. In that the bout took place while the fighter Garcia, and the promoter De La Hoya, are engaged in a legal battle against each other in an effort by Garcia to break his existing contract with his promoter. The idea of a promoter and fighter being at odds however, is not a new concept. The idea that a fight promoted by a promoter currently battling the star attraction in said fight while litigation is ongoing is a bit different. 

At minimum, as this observer pointed out in previewing this fight, it had to create distractions for Garcia as well as a situation for De La Hoya, where the pressing question during fight week was not concerning the fight inside the Boxing ring, but concerned his feelings toward his fighter. The contention between the two going into fight week spilled over as both Garcia and De La Hoya traded verbal barbs during the pre-fight press conference and weigh-in.

Seeing the situation play out for the world to see, one would be logical to question why the fighter would agree to participate in a fight promoted by someone that he is trying to distance himself from and why the promoter would want to promote a fight with that fighter, while litigation is ongoing. Truly, something that could only happen in Boxing, or at least that's how it seems. One would also be justified in questioning why something like that would be done before a resolution has taken place between the parties as more than likely anything either fighter or promoter said prior to the bout actually taking place, would likely be used against each other or at least be attempted to in any upcoming legal proceedings.

While what I have described here dear reader, probably sounds more appropriate for a reality TV show, there was still the matter of actual battle inside the ring. The fight between Garcia and Durate took place before a capacity crowd. If nothing else, it demonstrated, despite Garcia's knockout loss to Davis and the very ugly saga between himself and De La Hoya, Garcia is still a rising star in the sport. 

As for the fight itself, under new trainer Derrick James, Garcia showed new elements of his skillset that has not been seen before. A more technical approach with an emphasis on using both his jab and lateral movement against the constant pressure of Duarte, who only knew one direction, forward. Perhaps in response to what happened to him when he was knocked out by Gervonta Davis, when forced to fight on the inside with Duarte where the possibility of being caught with a body shot, like the one that did him in against Davis, was increased, Garcia appeared to turn sideways, some may say partially turn his back. While such an approach borders on the line of legal and illegal, it was for better or worse an effective strategy. It did not, however, endear Garcia to the crowd in attendance, who frequently voiced their criticism via booing throughout the bout. Furthermore, it also created a scenario where Referee James Green frequently interjected himself throughout the fight to issue warnings, which were mostly pointed in the direction of Duarte for hitting Garcia in the back. 

Although I felt Garcia was doing enough to win most of the rounds as the fight progressed, the aggressiveness of Duarte was such that I felt it could sway opinion in his favor simply because of the perception that he was the fighter forcing the action. The question I was also pondering in my mind was whether the high pace in which the fight was fought would take a toll on Garcia later in the fight due not only to Duarte’s pressure and solid punches when he was able to connect, but more specifically the constant movement that he was having to do throughout. 

As the fight continued, I also felt that Duarte’s pressure was effective, but what was also noticeable was the lack of head movement as he came forward in that he was having to go through significant offense from Garcia before he could get on the inside, which he was unable to avoid. This flaw in Duarte’s defense would ultimately lead to his downfall in the eighth round when Garcia was able to catch him with a short left hook to the head, which wobbled his legs and subsequently led to a knockdown from a short flurry of blows. Although Duarte seemed to get up at the count of nine, he was in fact counted out by Referee James Green, giving Garcia an impressive and hard fought knockout win.

Ultimately, this fight did what it was designed to do if you were a member of both Garcia’s camp or his current promoter Golden Boy Promotions. Get Garcia back in the win column. The fact that Garcia was able to do so impressively is an added bonus. Inevitably, there will continue to be questions and criticism of Garcia. Questions such as is he truly recovered from the knockout at the hands of Davis, more so mentally than physically? Is Garcia listening to too many folks in terms of advising him on his career and is that influence at the root of his ongoing problems with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions? And finally, will he be able to stay on track both inside the ring as well as out of it to stay a viable contender with the hope of eventually fighting for a world championship?

These are all interesting questions that this observer cannot answer. Much as has been the case for numerous young fighters throughout the history of the sport however, there is no shortage of people who are more than willing to tell a fighter what they want to hear and will also offer no shortage of ideas that may not truly have the fighter’s best interest at heart. For the fighter, especially one who has been open as Garcia has regarding struggles with his mental health, it can be difficult to tell the difference between those willing to tell them what they want to hear and those telling them what they need to hear. Even if the latter is not always easy to hear.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

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ALEX WINWOOD "ON TOP OF THE WORLD" AFTER SECURING CRUCIAL FIGHT ON ROAD TO WORLD TITLE

Press Release: December 6, 2023 By Dragon Fire Boxing-  Noongar boxer Alex Winwood has climbed one step closer to locking in a chance at the WBC strawweight world title after moving to 4-0 in his professional career on Friday night (December 1st).

 

Credit: Dragon Fire Boxing 

The judges handed Winwood a unanimous victory over Filipino fighter Cris Ganoza at Perth's Metro City.

 

It locks in a 'final eliminator' against Mexico's Luis Castillo next year, with the winner to position as the outright contender to Yudai Shigeoka's belt.

"I am feeling on top of the world," he told National Indigenous Times after the fight.

 

"You're looking at a proud Noongar man that just beat his fourth opponent, and now he's going to a world title eliminator.

 

"I've got my mob on my back, and I love y'all."

 

Winwood and his team have set eyes on building "a Phd in southpaws" in their pursuit of reaching the top of the tree.

 

Should their plan come to fruition, the 26-year-old will be prove the fastest Australian man to a world title - one shy of Jeff Fenech's seven-fight record pace.

 

After consecutive wins by stoppage to start his pro career, Winwood has had to go the distance in his recent bouts.

 

Ganoza tested the Western Australian with plenty on the night, forcing Winwood on to the back foot at stages and splitting him above the left eye.

 

Fellow WA product Australian boxing champion Danny Green said grinding out the win showed the character required at the calibre.

 

"I've watched him progress as a pro and each fight he keeps getting better," Green told National Indigenous Times.

"It's moments like that a fighter is tested and you get to see particularly in the corner where you are so close to the action… and get an intimate sight into what they're feeling.

 

"And to see him come back those times from being staggered…You wouldn't have known, Which is what is going to take him to the top."

Green has been a consistent supporter in the young boxer's career.

With a training base on the far-north NSW coast, Winwood soaked in every bit of another win in front of a hometown crowd.

 

"I haven't been back to country for a bit, so I've just been out in the city looking and enjoying the beautiful weather," said Winwood.

 

"It just feels like everything has come to a point and the crowd is building up in there and I can't wait to give them a good show.

 

"I love my Perth mob, everytime I come back it just fills my heart with joy.

"I hope to make them proud with a big effort and we can continue this crazy experience and keep going forward and take on the world, show them what the Noongars can do."

 

Winwood is set to meet the no.1 ranked Castillo, with a date to be confirmed for 2024.

Material and Photo Courtesy of: Dragon Fire Boxing Used with permission.

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Jukembayev Collides With Mimoune On ProBox TV's Wednesday Night Fights, December 13

Press Release: December 5, 2023 By ProBox TV-  ProBox TV’s flagship promotion Wednesday Night Fights returns with yet another  barnburner of a fight card on Wednesday, December 13th from Plant City, Florida. 

Credit: ProBox TV 

WNF’s last installment saw another Fight of the Year candidate with Orlando Gonzalez picking up a split decision win against Jorge Castaneda.

The headline attraction will see highly touted Kazakh Batyrzhan Jukembayev (21-1, 16 KOs) square-off with France’s Mohamed Mimoune (23-5, 4 KOs) at super lightweight over 10 rounds. The two men come off fresh victories on ProBox TV.

Jukembayev was last in action scoring a split decision victory over Hugo Alberto Roldan in September, he previously knocked out Xolani Mcotheli in his native Kazakhstan in December of 2022. Mimoune was in fine form during his last ring appearance, also taking place on ProBox TV. The Roy Jones Jr. trained southpaw defeated Steven Galeano five months ago in Kissimmee, Florida. 

The chief support provides fight fans with with an 8 round contest at lightweight. Top Rank’s undefeated standout Kelvin Davis (10-0, 6 KOs) collides with the experienced Clarence Booth (21-8, 13 KOs). Davis trains with top level trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre and is the brother of Keyshawn Davis. 

Undefeated records are on the line when fan favourite Najee Lopez (8-0, 7 KOs) locks horns with Miami based Cuban Yildo Depestre (7-0, 5 KO's) in a light heavyweight contest that promises nothing but fireworks.

Dominic Valle (7-0, 5 KOs) Vs Filipino Jensel Lausa (11-1, 7 KOs) will open the WNF televised broadcast in the Sunshine State. The pair meet at super featherweight, the bout scheduled for 6 rounds.

Commentary is available in both English and Spanish from former world champions; Paulie Malignaggi, Chris Algieri and Juan Manuel Marquez. 

ProBox TV is available worldwide and is completely free at ProBoxTV.com 

Material and Photo Courtesy of: ProBox TV Used with permission.

For more information about ProBox TV including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, Full event archive and additional programming,and to subscribe please visit: www.ProBoxTV.com. 

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Prograis-Haney: High Risk, High Reward

As the year 2023 begins to wind down, there are only a few dates left on the Boxing schedule in the month of December that should be of interest to many Boxing fans. One of those dates will take place on December 9th in San Francisco, CA as two-time Jr. Welterweight world champion Regis Prograis, current holder of the WBC Jr. Welterweight world championship, will make the second defense of his title against undefeated former Undisputed Lightweight champion of the world Devin Haney. An intriguing encounter between two dynamic fighters, which will take place at the Chase Center and can be seen in North America on DAZN Pay-Per-View and as part of a standard subscription to DAZN’s streaming network internationally.

Ironically, this fight cones as many believe both fighters lost their respective last fights against different opposition. As most know, in his last outing in what turned out to be his final defense of the Undisputed Lightweight world championship, Devin Haney scored a controversial decision victory over former three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko in May of this year.

A fight that appeared to be controlled by Lomachenko from the outset, Haney was judged to be the winner of the fight by twelve round unanimous decision. Haney, who had difficulty in recent outings in making the 135lb. Lightweight limit, almost immediately after the victory over Lomachenko, controversial as it might be depending on one’s perspective, stated his intention to move up in weight to the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division to seek an opportunity to win another world championship. Although Haney still holds three recognized world championships in the Lightweight division as of this writing, his intention of testing the waters at 140lbs. resulted in his being stripped of the WBC Lightweight world championship, which was recently won by Shakur Stevenson. Regardless of the outcome of this fight on December 9th, it is widely expected that Haney will remain in the Jr. Welterweight division moving forward.

The champion who Haney will face in San Francisco, coincidentally is also coming off of a less than stellar outing in his last title defense. This observer is referring to the defense Regis Prograis had in June of this year in his hometown of New Orleans, LA where he was pushed to the limit by a very “Game" Danielito Zorrilla. Much like Haney’s victory over Lomachenko, there were some who were of the opinion that Zorrilla had done enough to earn the decision, but ended up on the losing end of a twelve round split decision.

With both world champions coming off performances that left more questions than answers, a question that some might have is were those fights each a case of two elite fighters showing that they are human and having an off night at the office, or more a case of coming up against high level competition that each may have underestimated. We are likely to get an answer by both fighters facing each other.

This fight presents a truly unique situation for both fighters. Not only are both coming off questionable outings, but by facing each other now, it has created a true high stakes encounter where there is a lot to gain, but also a lot to lose for both Prograis and Haney. Despite being a two-time world champion, Regis Prograis has yet to score a victory that many would call a career-defining win. In some ways, it can be for lack of a better term, unfair for a fighter no matter how many world championships they might win to be defined by a fight or a few fights as opposed to the overall accomplishments achieved throughout a career. Unfortunately, Boxing is a sport where often, single fights are  used as a measuring stick of defining a fighter's career. If Prograis were to lose this fight, the argument of some might be that his accomplishments could be questioned due to not being able to defeat a fighter that some consider to be an elite level boxer. 

Similarly, if Haney were to lose this fight, some could say that perhaps he benefited from what was believed by many to be a bad decision in his fight against Lomachenko and who’s only two world title fights prior to that outing came against the same fighter in George Kambosos, who himself has had his legitimacy unfairly questioned both prior to and after his two fights with Haney.

For better or worse, one must also factor in the element of dislike between Prograis and Haney. Although more often than not, such boasts of animosity are nothing more than an attempt to draw interest and promote a fight, something that should be left to the promoters in the sport, there are times when the dislike is legitimate. Whether or not that might result in both fighters being more willing to engage from the outset and potentially go punch for punch remains to be seen. There is no question that both champion and challenger possess Boxing skills on the highest level in the sport, but the highest class of skill does not always translate into a memorable fight, and given the perception of at least some Boxing fans that each have had to deal with since their last outings, it will be interesting to see if this is either a high level chess match between two world-class boxers that this could be on paper or if the combination of what happened in their respective last fights and what might be legitimate dislike between the two results in a memorable battle. The type of fight that is not only the subject of both discussion and debate years after it occurs, but often those fights that are thought of as elevating Boxing to a higher level.

As one who has been looking forward to covering this fight from the moment it was announced, having covered both Prograis and Haney throughout their respective careers, this observer can not wait to find out.

“And That's The Boxing Truth."

Update: While this column was in development, it was announced on November 29th that Devin Haney had vacated the remaining world championships he held in the 135lb. Lightweight division and would be competing in the 140lb. Jr. Welterweight division going forward.

Prograis vs  Haney takes place on Saturday, December 9th at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. In the United States and Canada the fight can be seen on DAZN Pay-Per-View for $59.99 beginning at 8PM ET/5PM PT. Outside of North America, the fight will be available as part of a standard monthly or annual DAZN subscription.

To order this pay-per-view event in North America, visit www.DAZN.com and verify that pay-per-view access is required in your region. DAZN.com also provides information on how to subscribe, availability around the world, compatible streaming devices, platforms, and Smart TVs, as well as local start times in your area.

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