Jason Moloney admits this simply is a fight he cannot lose.

Another setback Saturday night would be a career-crusher for the Australian bantamweight contender. The 30-year-old Moloney remains confident he can become a 118-pound world champion, but he must beat Joshua Greer Jr. to move back toward contention for what would be a third world title shot.

Moloney-Greer will be streamed by ESPN+ as part of the Joshua Franco-Andrew Moloney undercard Saturday night from Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their 10-round bantamweight bout should start at approximately 9 p.m. EDT, just before coverage moves to ESPN for a three-bout broadcast at 10 p.m. EDT.

“It’s a must-win fight for both of us,” Jason Moloney told BoxingScene.com. “The winner of this fight will move right up the ratings and get himself back in the mix for a world title. And for the loser, it’s a major setback. I know how important this fight is. You know, even though I’ve fought for world titles in the past, I really do see this as the most important fight of my career.

“It’s a fight that I’ve gotta go out there and I’ve gotta perform. I know if I go out there and perform at my best, then I’ll win this fight comfortably. I have to show I’m one of the best bantamweights in the world and I belong in that world-title picture.”

Naoya Inoue knocked out Jason Moloney in the seventh round of Moloney’s most recent fight. His loss to the Japanese superstar showed Moloney (21-2, 18 KOs) the improvements he must make in this fight against Chicago’s Greer (22-2-2, 12 KOs). Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs), the IBF/WBA champion who is generally regarded as one of the best boxers in the sport, dropped Moloney once apiece in the sixth and seventh rounds during what was a dominant performance October 31 at MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.

“Being in there with Inoue and seeing that benchmark of where I wanna be,” Moloney explained, “this is the best bantamweight in the world and this is where I’m aspiring to reach and become. To have shared the ring with him and see the way he controls that ring and the little traps he sets and things like that was a great experience for me. It’s forced me to become a better fighter. And as I’ve been in the gym over the past eight months, I’ve had this benchmark to work towards, and the skill set and different things I wanna work on to reach that level of Inoue.

“So, I think it was a great, great experience for me. I’ve gotta take all the positives out of stepping in the ring and taking on a challenge like that. And I think it’s gonna play a major part in this fight, you know, that I’ve been in with the absolute best in this division.”

Jason Moloney and Greer were scheduled to fight in April 2020 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, on the Inoue-John Riel Casimero undercard. That show was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to Moloney challenging Inoue six months later.

Greer, 27, lost a 10-round majority decision to the Philippines’ Mike Plania (25-1, 12 KOs) and settled for an eight-round majority draw with Edwin Rodriguez (11-6-2, 5 KOs) in his past two fights.

“I’ve gotten so much better since that fight [against Inoue], I believe,” Moloney said. “Now I’ve gotta go in there and show that, gotta show that I am an elite fighter. I think Greer’s a good fighter, but I’ve gotta show that I’m a great fighter. And I think this is a really good fight for me to go out there and show that. Greer is one of the better bantamweights, but I don’t think he’s at that level where I’m aspiring to be. So, I’m gonna go out there and show that I’m a level above him. That’s what I plan to do.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.