We saw what can only be referred to as the bad side of the sport this past weekend, with that awful, everyone-is-talking-about-it, premature stoppage from referee Tony Weeks, this in the Rolly Romero-Ismael Barroso fight. But the great sport of boxing also gave us a reminder of how tough, how determined fighters have to be in order to win.
Jason Moloney, who captured the vacant WBO bantamweight title on Saturday night with a majority decision win over Vincent Astrolabio in Stockton, California, has revealed how he did it with a broken right hand. Moloney even kept the painful injury a secret from his own corner, fearful was he that the fight would be stopped. Just imagine the pain, of fighting with a busted hand, for eight or nine rounds. Yes, fighters are a different breed for sure.
Australia’s Moloney, 26-2(19) became a world champion at the third time of asking, the 32 year old having lost to Emmanuel Rodriguez and Naoya Inoue in previous attempts. It was “Monster” Inoue’s vacated belt Moloney and Astrolabio were fighting for on Saturday.
Moloney has shown he is a true warrior, and the crazy thing is, his punch output went UP after he had picked up the hand injury in the fight; this an injury many a fighter would perhaps have quit with.
“I broke my hand in the third or fourth round. It hurt every time I threw it. But I knew this was my last chance to make my dream come true,” Moloney said after his win.
Again, full respect goes out to Moloney for doing what he did, for showing the kind of bite-down courage we all so admire fighters for having. It’s possible Moloney – twin brother of Jason Moloney, who fights Junto Nakatini for the vacant WBO super flyweight title this Saturday on the Haney-Loma card – will next fight Nonito Donaire in what would be a big fight.
This past Saturday saw one man, Ismael Barroso, have his dreams unfairly taken from him, while it also saw another man fight through unimaginable pain to realise his.