Australian WBO Bantamweight World Champion Jason “Mayhem” Moloney Defends Title Against Japanese Challenger Yoshiki Takei in Tokyo Showdown
Tokyo, Japan – Australian WBO bantamweight world champion Jason “Mayhem” Moloney is set to defend his title against Japan’s rising star Yoshiki Takei in a highly anticipated bout at the iconic Tokyo Dome on Monday, May 6th.
Moloney (27-2, 19 KOs), who lost to pound-for-pound great Naoya Inoue in 2020, has since bounced back with an impressive six-fight winning streak. This run includes victories over Joshua Greer Jr., Francisco Pedroza, Aston Palicte, Navapon Khaikanha, and most recently, Vincent Astrolabio to claim the WBO bantamweight crown.
In his inaugural world title defense, Moloney edged out American Saul Sanchez in a thrilling majority decision battle in Quebec City, Canada. Now, the Australian champion turns his attention to the undefeated Japanese challenger Takei (8-0, 8 KOs), a former kickboxing world champion making his biggest step up in competition.
Moloney acknowledges the unique challenge Takei’s unorthodox southpaw style will present, stating, “> His distance is different coming from a kickboxing background, so we prepared very hard for his unique style.”
However, the confident champion believes that his extensive preparation will pay dividends, as he aims to secure a decisive victory and move closer to unification fights against the other bantamweight titleholders.
The Moloney-Takei bout will serve as the co-main event to the highly anticipated super fight between undisputed junior featherweight king Naoya Inoue and Mexican puncher Luis “Pantera” Nery. The entire fight card, including two additional world title fights, will be streamed live and exclusively in the U.S. on ESPN+ starting at 4 a.m. ET/ 1 a.m. PT.
🔗 Source
