Jason Moloney can still remember the thrill of his first major title win.

For the moment, he has no choice since it’s his most recent boxing memory.

That will change by January 13, when he is set to defend his WBO bantamweight title versus Saul Sanchez at Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada. It will be his first piece of ring action since he defeated Vincent Astrolabio to win the vacant belt last May 13 in Stockton, California.

“I’m really hungry and determined to make the first defense of my world title,” Moloney told BoxingScene.com. “It has been a slow and frustrating period since winning the title in May. I’d really like to fight three to four times a year.

“To only get one fight in 2023 was hard but I had to take my time and ensure that my hand recovered and healed properly.”

Australia’s Moloney (26-2, 19KOs) suffered a broken hand in the early stages of his title-winning effort over Astrolabio. The bout was his third shot at a major title, so he bit down and fought through the pain to realize his career-long dream.

It came at a cost, as Moloney was forced to sit out the balance of 2023. He will now command an undercard slot on a show headlined by Artur Beterbiev’s own return following a near year-long absence, as he defends his unified lineal, WBC, IBF and WBO light heavyweight championship versus Liverpool’s Callum Smith.

Whereas the 38-year-old Beterbiev (19-0, 19KOs) has grown accustomed to such long breaks between fights, Moloney does not prefer for it to be the norm. Next Saturday will mark exactly eight months since his win over Astrolabio, which represents the longest layoff of his near ten-year career. Healed up and off to an early start to 2024, the hope is that a win sets the table for his most productive campaign yet.

“Now that is all behind me, I’m really excited to get back in the ring and make a very impressive title defense,” insists Moloney. “I plan to prove myself as the best in the division.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox