Judy Flores vs Andrew Moloney Preview December 9th, 2023
Andrew Moloney of Australia meets Judy Flores of the Philippines in a 10-round junior bantamweight fight in Albert Park Australia this Saturday December 9th. Moloney will be trying to bounce back from the brutal 12th-round TKO he suffered at the hands of Junto Nakatani in May in a shot at the vacant WBO Super Flyweight Title. Flores last fought in June when he edged Jerald Paclar by a 10-round split decision. Before losing to Nakatani, Moloney beat Norbelto Jiminez by 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBO International Super Flyweight Crown in October, 2022.
Flores vs Moloney Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Judy Flores +450
- Andrew Moloney -700
My Pick
The 32-year-old Moloney enters the ring with a mark of 25-3 with 16 Ko’s and has boxed 186 rounds since making his pro debut in 2014. His first two losses were both against Joshua Franco for the WBA Super Flyweight Title. Franco won their first meeting by close unanimous decision in 2020 and the first rematch saw Franco retain the title after the fight was ruled a no-decision in the second round when the champion claimed he couldn’t continue after suffering a phantom head butt.
Another rematch was held in August, 2021 with Franco once again winning via a close unanimous decision. Moloney has pretty good power as 64 per cent of his victories have come by stoppage and had won four straight fights by KO until running into Franco the first time. Since losing the rematch he’s beaten Froilan Saludar by 10-round unanimous decision, stopped Gilberto Mendoza in the eighth round, stopped Alexander Espinoza after two, then went the distance with Norbelto Jiminez and was halted by Nakatani. After all this it means Moloney has stopped just two of his past eight opponents.
Moloney stands 5-feet-5-inches tall with a wingspan of 65 inches. Since turning pro after a fine amateur career, he has also captured several Australian, Oceania and Commonwealth belts in the bantamweight and junior bantamweight divisions. His biggest wins have been against the likes of Miguel Gonzalez, Selemani Bangaiza, Luis Concepcion, Rene Dacquel, Aramis Solis and Raymond Tabugon with Franco and Nakatani being the only men to beat him.
The 25-year-old Flores makes the ring walk with a mark of 13-1 with 7 Ko’s and has boxed 66 rounds since turning pro in 2017 following his amateur career. He measures 5-feet-5-inches tall with an unlisted reach, so is the same height as Moloney. When it comes to power, 53.9 per cent of Flores’s wins have come by stoppage and he’s gone the distance in three of his last four fights.
The lone defeat on Flores’ record came at the hands of Antonio Nieves by way of an eight-round unanimous decision in May, 2022. He won the vacant Philippines Super Flyweight Title in 2019 and has fought just once outside of his homeland as a pro and that was his lone defeat to Nieves over in America. He also has a win over former world title challenger and WBC International Super Flyweight Champion Jonathan Taconing.
Prediction…
Moloney has proven he belongs on the world stage but has fallen just short in competitive world title fights. He suffered a highlight-reel KO at the hands of Nakatani the last time out but he’s not the type of boxer who’s gun shy after taking punishment. Flores is a fine boxer without much power and it’s up to Moloney to make sure he takes him seriously. Moloney’s skills and experience against top-notch opposition should see him bounce back with a win here.
Moloney needs a win to regain his confidence.
Play: Moloney -700 @ BetOnline.ag
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Andrew Moloney betting • Judy Flores betting