Andrew Moloney is looking to become a world champion again after Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez decided against fighting WBO super-flyweight titleholder Phumelela Cafu.
Gonzalez and Cafu were expected to fight later this year, with Gonzalez, a champion in multiple weight divisions, seeking to add another achievement to his impressive career.
However, Colin Nathan, Cafu’s manager and trainer, has confirmed that the anticipated fight at 115lbs will not happen.
Instead, Cafu, 26 years old, is now searching for a new opponent for his title defense, with a potential home fight in South Africa planned for May.
Among the possible contenders to face the new champion is Moloney, 27-4 (17 KOs). Moloney says that positive discussions have taken place regarding this matchup.
“I really want to fight Cafu; I think it’s a fight that makes a lot of sense,” Moloney stated.
“We were considering other options, but when I heard that the negotiations for Cafu versus ‘Chocolatito’ had broken down, I immediately pursued this fight.”
“I know I’ll need to travel to South Africa and fight him in his home country, but that makes it even more appealing to me. That’s how you’re meant to win a world title.”
“He’s the world champion for a reason, and he’s undefeated, but I don’t believe he’s faced someone of my caliber.”
Cafu, 11-0-3 (8 KOs), caused a significant upset to win his WBO title last October, defeating Kosei Tanaka by split decision in Japan.
Moloney is confident that his experience at the world level gives him the edge to defeat the South African champion.
After Moloney expressed interest in fighting him, Cafu responded on social media, indicating he is willing to accept the challenge.
“[Cafu] said something like, ‘finally, someone has the courage to fight me; this will be an easy fight.’ He’s clearly a confident fighter,” Moloney mentioned.
“We exchanged messages a few times, and he’s interested in the fight. It makes sense because I’m a former world champion, and there’s a big rivalry between Australia and South Africa in various sports.”
“They are aiming for May, so training camp has already begun in anticipation of this fight happening.”
“I haven’t had much luck in boxing lately, so I’m hoping things will go my way this time.”
Moloney’s career journey has indeed been challenging.
Two controversial outcomes, in particular, significantly impacted his career, leaving him frustrated with the unpredictable nature of boxing.
The first controversial moment occurred in 2020 during Moloney’s rematch with Joshua Franco, which was ruled a no-decision.
Initially, it seemed that swelling around Franco’s eye was caused by an accidental head clash.
However, after reviewing the footage, Moloney argued that the injury was actually caused by a legal punch.
Despite this, the Nevada State Athletic Commission upheld its initial decision, denying Moloney the chance to have the result overturned.
Then, in his fight against Pedro Guevara last year, Moloney briefly announced his retirement after a highly debated decision went against him.
He has since returned to boxing with a win but remains disappointed by these two losses on his record.
“People don’t realize how much a loss can set you back in this sport,” Moloney explained.
“Financially, my life would be very different if I had gotten those decisions against Franco and Guevara.”
“It’s like being promised a promotion and a ten-fold increase in salary at a regular job.”
“But after doing everything asked, you’re told, ‘actually, you’re not getting promoted, and you’ll earn ten times less money.’”
“I’m not the first boxer this has happened to, and I won’t be the last. But for some reason, we still love this sport.”
Hopefully, Moloney will get the chance to not only become a two-time world champion but also potentially face ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in the future.
Both fighters have been ordered to compete in a WBC final eliminator, but with Moloney now aiming for the WBO title, a fight with Gonzalez could happen later.
Moloney concluded: “My main goal now is to defeat Cafu and become world champion, but after that, I would love to fight ‘Chocolatito.’ Maybe that could be my first WBO title defense.”
