Jason Moloney locks horns with Yoshiki Takei at a time when the bantamweight division will be in full swing. 

Moloney, 27-2 (19 KOs), will defend his 118-pound WBO world title against Japan’s Takei on the Naoya Inoue-Luis Nery undercard at the iconic 55,000 seater Tokyo Dome on May 6. On the same card Takuma Inoue puts his WBA bantamweight belt on the line against Sho Ishida, and old foe Emmanuel Rodriguez heads to nearby Osaka with his IBF title to face Ryosuke Nishida just two days prior. 

With Junto Nakatani installed as the current WBC champion, potentially all four world titles could be in Japanese hands once May 6 has played out. However, Moloney has had unifications on his mind since he defeated Vincent Astrolabio for the vacant title in Stockton, California nearly two years ago. 

“I haven’t seen a stack of Sho, just a little bit,” Moloney said exclusively to BoxingScene. “I think he lost a very close fight to Kal Yafai, if my memory serves me correctly. I think it is a fight Takuma is expected to win, I think he will. I was pretty impressed with Takuma’s last fight against Jerwin Ancajas. He seemed to show some good improvements there and it was a pretty impressive stoppage to beat a former champion like Ancajas the way he did. 

“If I get hold of him next, that would be unbelievable. Obviously we are on the same card both defending world titles at the same weight. So shall we both win May 6th, I would love to fight Takuma Inoue next in a unification.”

Despite Moloney being paired with his fellow bantamweight belt holder and the brother that defeated him, the Australian has a bone to pick with another champion planning to head to Tokyo with his own Japanese defense on May 4. Moloney lost a tight split decision to Puerto Rican Rodriguez three and a half years ago.  

“Obviously I would love to avenge my defeat to him,” Moloney explained. “I haven’t seen heaps of Nishida. He seems like a pretty tricky customer. He’s another tall southpaw. I don’t know where Japan keep pulling these tall southpaws from, they seem to have an abundance of them at the moment, but I think Rodriguez should win that fight. It’s one I’m looking forward to seeing, whoever wins there I will have my eye on.”

Junto Nakatani holds the fourth quarter of the championship at 118 pounds. The three-weight world champion and Japanese superstar scored a highlight reel knockout win over Moloney’s twin brother Andrew for the super flyweight world title last May. It gives Moloney history with all three of the other champions in his weight class. Nakatani made one successful defense against Argi Cortes before moving up to bantamweight where he snatched the WBC belt from Alexandro Santiago with a sixth-round knockout two months ago in Tokyo. 

“Yeah it was a good win,” Moloney added. “I thought he would be able to handle Santiago fairly well. I think stylistically it was a good fight for him with Santiago being so much shorter and him being someone he would be able to fight at the right distance. He controlled the fight, he was impressive and he carried his power up well to bantamweight. He’s a big guy, I’m not surprised he’s carried that power up. 

“It’s exciting that he is up with us and is the WBC champion. That’s another big fight for myself. I’m obviously very focused on what’s in front of me because there are so many big fights on the horizon. All the other champions, I’ve got history with all of them. There are some huge fights out there, whether it’s a rematch with Rodriguez, or Takuma or Nakatani. There are some enormous fights to be made.”