Joshua Franco stuns Andrew Moloney to win WBA title

WBA junior bantamweight champion Andrew Moloney came to Las Vegas to defend his title for the first time.

He’ll leave Las Vegas with his first loss instead.

Moloney’s local debut was spoiled Tuesday night by San Antonio native Joshua Franco, who worked his way to a 115-112, 114-113, 114-113 decision in Top Rank’s fifth card at the MGM Grand’s Grand Ballroom during the coronavirus pandemic.

Franco, 24, was patient with his approach, assumed control in the second half of the fight and cut Moloney in the 10th round. He followed with a knockdown in the 11th and held on in the 12th to upset the 29-year-old Australian to win the WBA’s secondary belt in the 115-pound weight class.

“I wasn’t nervous when the decision was being read. I knew I’d done enough to win this fight,” Franco said. “My coach, Robert Garcia, had me ready. I’m going home with the belt.”

Moloney, who won the title from Elton Dharry in November, has fought mostly in Australia and had long dreamed of coming to Las Vegas and achieving glory.

But Franco (17-1-2, eight knockouts) was primed to play spoiler after enduring a grueling trilogy against bantamweight Oscar Negrete, in which he posted a 1-0-2 record.

Franco weathered Moloney (21-1, 14 KOs) early and found his groove in the middle rounds by working from middle distance. His tactical adjustment allowed for more work to Moloney’s body and paved the way for his dominance in the later rounds.

“After the fourth round, I gained the momentum and figured him out,” Franco said. “I always knew this was possible.”

Franco cut Moloney with an overhand right in the 10th and knocked him down the following round with a left-right combination that snapped his head back. He finished with a 231-191 edge in punches, including a 158-134 advantage in power punches, per CompuBox.

“It just wasn’t my night tonight. This was not the best version of Andrew Moloney, but full credit to Joshua Franco,” Moloney said. “He deserved to win the title with his effort. He closed the fight strong, like a true champion.”

Moloney’s twin brother, Jason (20-1, 17 KOs), will fight bantamweight Leonardo Baez (18-2, nine KOs) on Thursday in Top Rank’s main event.

Herring tests positive

WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring (21-2, 10 KOs) said Tuesday he tested positive for the coronavirus last week and will not defend his title against Jonathan Oquendo. The fight was scheduled to headline Top Rank’s July 2 card.

Top Rank hopes to reschedule the fight for July 14.

The fight originally scheduled for last Thursday between junior welterweights Jose Pedraza (26-3, 13 KOs) and Mikkel LesPierre (22-1-1, 10 KOs) could replace the Herring-Oquendo fight on July 2, according to ESPN. That fight was postponed because LesPierre’s manager tested positive for the virus.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.