Andrew Moloney vs. Joshua Franco - June 23, 2020

[gregregegg]

wow two judges had it 6 all. turns out that Knockdown was pretty important. Hope for moloney they gave him the 12th (doubt it). cause finding out you were 1 round away from the win, you would always look back and think fornicate i could of done/risked a little more.

[margaret thatcher]

That was a lit fight, not non-stop action but very competitive, nice upset Josh Franco, he earned it

[margaret thatcher]

Apparently JF did win last round on all cards, so it really did come down to whoever wins the last round wins the fight

[lazboy]

I tuned in half way and saw Franco essentially walking Moloney down. He seemed the far more relaxed, and at the same time aggressive, fighter. This is the first live boxing I have seen since Fury Wilder 3. Can't believe it's back.

[gregregegg]

Apparently JF did win last round on all cards, so it really did come down to whoever wins the last round wins the fight

damm that will sting for a while. moloney actually looked sharp at the end. just needed to try step it up and risk a bit. but thats hindsight i guess. Hope he keeps getting some decent fights, only young and far from a mug.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Both Brothers have now lost.

Scott Christie predicted this one right.

[Axl]

Nice Pick by Scott Chtist, he was the only one who gave Franco a chance. As pointed out by Scott, Dharry should have stopped Moloney in November but lost on a doctor stoppage. Dharry is now ranked at 80 odd. Moloneys punches had little to no effect on Franco and i think he was lucky to get as far as he did.

[IKSRTFO]

Stewart was awful. I actually scored it a draw but considering Olguin looked about 50 pounds overweight and Stewart was the undefeated "prospect" in the fight I expected a wipeout.

at the telecast listing Olguin as 5'7". He was at least 6 feet.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Official Scorecards

[Ruthless-RKO]

Official Punch Stats

Joshua Franco came on down the stretch, outlanding Andrew Moloney 103-50 over the last five rounds and scored a knockdown to capture the WBA "regular" super flyweight title at the Conference Center of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Moloney landed just ten body shots in the last four rounds after landing 53 in the previous eight rounds.



MGM Grand, Las Vegas - Joshua Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) was a man on a mission as he dropped and bloodied the previously undefeated Andrew Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) to capture the WBA "regular" super flyweight title. The scores were 115-112, 114-113, 114-113.

Moloney came out throwing a lot of punches in the first round. He was using a lot of jabs and then coming back with big punches. Franco began to open up in the second, as he started to time Moloney and land shots of his own at close range - especially the uppercut.

A very active third, as they were trading a lot of punches at mid-range. Moloney made adjustments in the fourth, moving around and landing from the distance, especially to the body. In the fifth, Franco got the fight back to mid-range and was he landing his combinations to the head and body.

Franco continued to control the fight at mid-range as they fought in the sixth with crisp exchanges. The seventh was close with each man having moments in the round. In the eight, Franco was picking up the pace and throwing a lot of punches. Moloney was fight back with hard counters, targeting the body. During the ninth, Franco landed some very big shots to the head of Moloney.

Franco was really doing a number on Moloney in the tenth, battering him with punches to the head and body. The left eye of Moloney was cut and streaming blood and there was blood coming out of his mouth.

In the eleventh, Franco rocked Moloney and scored a knockdown with a series of hard punches. Moloney was allowed to continued, with Franco going right after him to get the finish. Moloney was able to survive. In the final round, Franco was in full control and taking the fight to Moloney. Franco was landing the harder punches and doing more damage, but Moloney was showing heart and fighting back hard.

[Ruthless-RKO]

wow two judges had it 6 all. turns out that Knockdown was pretty important. Hope for moloney they gave him the 12th (doubt it). cause finding out you were 1 round away from the win, you would always look back and think fornicate i could of done/risked a little more.

Had there been no KD, would have been a majority draw.

[Ruthless-RKO]

“He is out of the hospital now,” Tony Tolj, Moloney’s career-long manager told BS.com. “[Tuesday] just wasn’t his night, but is now released from the hospital.”

[brilo33]

i like moloney tough man but will never be in the top brackett. he has short arms got counterd couldnt land back, he has nice left hand no power in the right, moved well at times but reailistly he counldnt keep it up, franco looks decent fighter , big engine threw loads of shots good pressure fights cuts the ring well to but maye lacks power to, i had it franco clear winner

[jujigatame]

I was expecting 114-113 Moloney type cards, just because he was the A-side in the fight. It was good to see the right man get the nod.

[gregregegg]

wow two judges had it 6 all. turns out that Knockdown was pretty important. Hope for moloney they gave him the 12th (doubt it). cause finding out you were 1 round away from the win, you would always look back and think fornicate i could of done/risked a little more.

Had there been no KD, would have been a majority draw.

Yes no KD majority draw. But as i said If moloney won the 12 he would of won a majority decision. thats gotta sting a bit if you think you left annnnything in the tank. hopefuly his brother wins, both loosing would be grim family vibes.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Judging The Judges: Franco-Moloney Scorecard Analysis

A pivotal 11th round knockdown propelled Joshua Franco to victory, all while sparing the sport the embarrassment of yet another questionable decision.

The streaking junior bantamweight from San Antonio unseated previously unbeaten WBA “Regular” 115-pound titlist Andrew Moloney in their ESPN-televised headliner Tuesday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. It required his sweeping the final four rounds on all three scorecards and scoring a knockdown in the championship rounds in order to prevail by scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113.

It also never should have come to that.

Yet that is where we are as long as the Nevada State Athletic Commission continues to use the same small pool of ringside officials for the current summer boxing series being staged behind closed doors. Judges Dave ‘Never Carl’ Moretti and Patricia Morse Jarman—both based in Las Vegas—turned in identical scorecards of 114-113, with judge Julie Lederman—a second generation ring official and daughter of the late, great Harold Lederman—scoring the bout 115-112 in favor of Franco.

As reflected in the final scores, all three judges generally saw the same fight as they were unison on eight of the 12 rounds of action. Moloney claimed rounds one, four and seven on all three official scorecards, with Franco sweeping rounds 9-12 along with round five.

Moloney was the majority winner in all four split frames, winning on at least two scorecards in rounds two, three, six and eight.

Most viewers watching at home (or the location of their preference) sensed that Franco was well on his way to prevailing in the first major title fight amidst the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, he needed a knockdown just to pull even on the cards of Moretti and Morse Jarman heading into the final round, while clinching the fight in Lederman’s eyes.

Judges Moretti and Morse Jarman agreed on 10 of the rounds. The two split frames on their cards came in rounds three and eight. Morse Jarman was the lone judge to award Franco round three, while Moretti cast the dissenting card in favor of Franco in round eight.

The latter of the two was the first of five straight rounds Moretti would award to Franco after scoring just one (round five) of the first seven for the Golden Boy Promotions product. Franco trailed 69-63 heading into the eighth round on the latest in a series of recent scorecards turned in by Moretti that should warrant an immediate investigation conducted by the Nevada commission.

Just one week prior, Moretti was the lone judge who failed to award Mike Plania a well-deserved 10-round victory over Joshua Greer, scoring the contest 94-94 for a fight that even Greer himself acknowledged he lost.

Judge Lederman was in agreement with Moretti and Morse Jarman, separately, on nine of the 12 rounds.

In addition to the eight unanimous rounds scored, judges Lederman and Moretti agreed on one more—scoring round three in favor of Moloney. Lederman and Morse Jarman agreed on Moloney claiming round eight, the last frame he would win on either of their scorecards.

Australia’s Moloney (21-1, 14KOs) attempted the first defense of the title he acquired this past March, while also making his stateside debut. The 29-year old needed to win just one of the final four frame or at least avoid a knockdown in order to remain champ, as he led 77-75, 77-75 and 78-74 after eight rounds of action.

Having managed to complete one of those two scenarios would have preserved his title status and unbeaten record. It also would have created yet another uproar in just the two-plus weeks that boxing has returned following a three-month break due to the ongoing global health crisis.

Instead, Franco’s late rally provides boxing’s latest feel-good story—although the closer than necessary scores still manage to provide the same old tale.

Judges Moretti and Morse Jarman have served on all five ESPN shows to have aired live from Las Vegas this month. Both have remained as part of a small pool of ring officials in efforts to minimize the risk of COVID-19 entering the isolated area known as “The Bubble.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

ESPN Show Peaked At 390,000 Viewers, Averaged 310,000

ESPN televised a much more compelling main event Tuesday night, but viewership was only slightly higher than it was for its previous boxing broadcast on a weeknight.

Nielsen Media Research revealed Wednesday that the network’s three-hour, 31-minute telecast Tuesday night was watched by an average of 310,000 viewers. The peak audience of 390,000 tuned in toward the conclusion of the main event, Joshua Franco’s upset of Andrew Moloney in their 12-round, 115-pound title fight at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

ESPN’s previous weeknight show, which aired Thursday night from MGM Grand Conference Center, attracted a peak audience of 382,000 and an average audience of 305,000.

The main event of Thursday’s card, Gabe Flores Jr.’s easy victory over Josec Ruiz, was supposed to open ESPN’s five-fight broadcast. Their 10-round lightweight bout was elevated to the main event Thursday morning because the Jose Pedraza-Mikkel LesPierre bout was postponed once LesPierre’s manager, Josie Taveras, testing positive for COVID-19.

The 10-round junior welterweight battle between Puerto Rico’s Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) and Brooklyn’s LesPierre (22-1-1, 10 KOs) has been rescheduled for July 2 at MGM Grand Conference Center.

Pedraza and LesPierre will have a tough time matching the type of entertainment Franco and Moloney produced during their WBA world super flyweight title fight. San Antonio’s Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) overcame a slow start, took complete control in the final four rounds and scored an 11th-round knockdown on his way to winning a majority decision over Australia’s Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs).

In the co-featured fight of ESPN’s four-bout broadcast, Puerto Rican featherweight Christopher Diaz (26-2, 16 KOs) out-boxed Jason Sanchez (15-1, 8 KOs), of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to win a 10-round unanimous decision.

ESPN will televise live boxing again Thursday night, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Australia’s Jason Moloney (20-1, 17 KOs), Andrew’s twin brother, will meet Mexico’s Leonardo Baez (18-2, 9 KOs, 1 NC) in the main event, a 10-round bantamweight bout. The six-bout broadcast also will include a 10-round lightweight bout in which Abraham Nova (18-0, 14 KOs), of Albany, New York, will face Philadelphia’s Avery Sparrow (10-1, 3 KOs, 1 NC).

[jujigatame]

Does that mean Tuesday's card underperformed expectations, or that last week's card overperformed?

[margaret thatcher]

Judging The Judges: Franco-Moloney Scorecard Analysis

A pivotal 11th round knockdown propelled Joshua Franco to victory, all while sparing the sport the embarrassment of yet another questionable decision.

The streaking junior bantamweight from San Antonio unseated previously unbeaten WBA “Regular” 115-pound titlist Andrew Moloney in their ESPN-televised headliner Tuesday evening at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. It required his sweeping the final four rounds on all three scorecards and scoring a knockdown in the championship rounds in order to prevail by scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113.

It also never should have come to that.

Yet that is where we are as long as the Nevada State Athletic Commission continues to use the same small pool of ringside officials for the current summer boxing series being staged behind closed doors. Judges Dave ‘Never Carl’ Moretti and Patricia Morse Jarman—both based in Las Vegas—turned in identical scorecards of 114-113, with judge Julie Lederman—a second generation ring official and daughter of the late, great Harold Lederman—scoring the bout 115-112 in favor of Franco.

As reflected in the final scores, all three judges generally saw the same fight as they were unison on eight of the 12 rounds of action. Moloney claimed rounds one, four and seven on all three official scorecards, with Franco sweeping rounds 9-12 along with round five.

Moloney was the majority winner in all four split frames, winning on at least two scorecards in rounds two, three, six and eight.

Most viewers watching at home (or the location of their preference) sensed that Franco was well on his way to prevailing in the first major title fight amidst the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, he needed a knockdown just to pull even on the cards of Moretti and Morse Jarman heading into the final round, while clinching the fight in Lederman’s eyes.

Judges Moretti and Morse Jarman agreed on 10 of the rounds. The two split frames on their cards came in rounds three and eight. Morse Jarman was the lone judge to award Franco round three, while Moretti cast the dissenting card in favor of Franco in round eight.

The latter of the two was the first of five straight rounds Moretti would award to Franco after scoring just one (round five) of the first seven for the Golden Boy Promotions product. Franco trailed 69-63 heading into the eighth round on the latest in a series of recent scorecards turned in by Moretti that should warrant an immediate investigation conducted by the Nevada commission.

Just one week prior, Moretti was the lone judge who failed to award Mike Plania a well-deserved 10-round victory over Joshua Greer, scoring the contest 94-94 for a fight that even Greer himself acknowledged he lost.

Judge Lederman was in agreement with Moretti and Morse Jarman, separately, on nine of the 12 rounds.

In addition to the eight unanimous rounds scored, judges Lederman and Moretti agreed on one more—scoring round three in favor of Moloney. Lederman and Morse Jarman agreed on Moloney claiming round eight, the last frame he would win on either of their scorecards.

Australia’s Moloney (21-1, 14KOs) attempted the first defense of the title he acquired this past March, while also making his stateside debut. The 29-year old needed to win just one of the final four frame or at least avoid a knockdown in order to remain champ, as he led 77-75, 77-75 and 78-74 after eight rounds of action.

Having managed to complete one of those two scenarios would have preserved his title status and unbeaten record. It also would have created yet another uproar in just the two-plus weeks that boxing has returned following a three-month break due to the ongoing global health crisis.

Instead, Franco’s late rally provides boxing’s latest feel-good story—although the closer than necessary scores still manage to provide the same old tale.

Judges Moretti and Morse Jarman have served on all five ESPN shows to have aired live from Las Vegas this month. Both have remained as part of a small pool of ring officials in efforts to minimize the risk of COVID-19 entering the isolated area known as “The Bubble.”

Scoring wasn't that bad imo, I had it 115-112 so same as 1 card and only 1 round off the other pair, I mean I can see 5-6 rounds for Moloney, seems a bit of a long winded moan fest from that dude there

[bobcatbox]

In my opinion the best fight since boxing returned. Hope they get Franco back on TV soon. Any clues on where he'll move up to in Ring Rankings after this? Latest edition had him #10 and Moloney higher, so he's got to move up.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Andrew Moloney to exercise rematch clause after losing belt to Joshua Franco

After losing his WBA junior bantamweight crown to Joshua Franco on June 23 in a hard-fought battle, Andrew Moloney is going to get a rematch, he announced Thursday.

"I'm extremely excited to announce that I will be having a rematch with Joshua Franco," Moloney said in a post on Twitter. "... I worked my whole life to get that World Title and I'm now hungrier than ever to get it back!"



Carl Moretti, vice president of boxing operations for Top Rank, confirmed that there is a rematch clause but said a date has not yet been set for the second fight.

"We agreed to an option," said Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, which represents Franco. "If that's the fight they want to do, then yeah, by all means. We just need the details."

Franco (17-1-2, 8 KOs) won a spirited battle with a strong second-half surge at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. The bout was fought on pretty even terms in the early rounds, but the 24-year-old Franco got stronger as the night went on.

He knocked down Moloney, 29, in the 11th round, which was pivotal as he ended up winning by scores of 114-113, 114-113 and 115-112.

Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) suffered perforated eardrums and began vomiting after the fight, leading to a precautionary trip to the hospital.

Tony Tolj, Moloney's manager, told ESPN that his fighter wants the immediate rematch.

[bobcatbox]

I’m hyped for the rematch. Picking Franco by UD.