Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
A bidding war is brewing for the rights to Andrew Moloney’s boxing world title shot that could be fought in far-flung Kyrgyzstan but his Australian team is desperate to secure it on home soil.
Purse bids have been ordered by the IBF for the world super flyweight title fight between Kingscliff-based Moloney (27-4) and Mexico’s reigning champion Willibaldo Garcia (23-6-2).
Bids will be received on March 5 and it’s expected there will be many hats in the ring.
Moloney’s long-time promoter Tony Tolj of Dragon Fire Boxing told AAP he was in discussions with fellow domestic promoter Tasman Fighters, who manage cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia, to secure the fight in Australia.
Tolj said he’d taken a call from Eddie Hearn at Matchroom Boxing, with the British powerhouse keen to host the title bout or include it in an Australian show after striking a deal with Fox Sports and DAZN to stage multiple events in the country this year.
It’s understood a Japanese promoter is also interested and, bizarrely, has ties to Kyrgyzstan, which has been presented as a destination with significant interest.
“We would love to have the fight here, give Andrew the platform he deserves,” Tolj told AAP.
“There is interest from Tasman and Eddie called wanting me to step aside, which we didn’t want to do. And then there is interest from international promoters. There will be a few bidders.”
Moloney spent a large chunk of last year preparing for a world title eliminator with Argi Cortes, training for almost five weeks in Mexico for a fight that never eventuated.
The Australian copped a series of date and venue changes even after he’d arrived in the country and was willing to compete until the bout was moved again, to the high-altitude Mexico City, barely one week before the contest.
He flew home and was awarded mandatory status by the IBF and then snuck in a fight in Fiji to end a 12-month ring absence.
Garcia has dragged his feet on the defence, Moloney reluctantly agreeing to step aside and permit the Mexican to fight former two-division champion Kenshiro Teraji in December.
That Saudi Arabia clash made it as far as the weigh-in before Garcia withdrew, citing illness in a move that angered the Japanese fighter and his camp.
Garcia’s obligatory defence is already overdue and Moloney has held firm on his title chance despite a strong push for the Mexican to bypass it and instead fight unbeaten Ring, WBC, WBA and WBO champ Jesse Rodriguez.
The bidding war coincides with reports that Liam Paro’s IBF welterweight world title fight against Belfast’s Lewis Crocker will be delayed following a hand injury to the Irish champion.
Australia has secured hosting rights for the bout, expected to take place in early April in a city yet to be confirmed.
