AUSTRALIAN Jason Moloney used his ring savvy to foil power-punching Filipino Vincent Astrolabio and claim the World Boxing Organization bantamweight belt by majority decision yesterday at Stockton Arena in California.
Fighting with a broken hand from the fourth round onwards, Moloney, 32, piled up points from the opening bell with his effective left jab while evading Astrolabio’s power shots to finally capture the belt after two earlier unsuccessful tries.
Judges Tom Carusone and Robert Hoyle scored it 115-113 and 116-112, respectively, for the man Down Under while referee Tom Carusone saw it an even 114-114 draw.
Handled by MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons, Astrolabio tried in vain to land the big punch but could not do so against the elusive and wily Aussie, who raised his record to 26 wins, 19 by knockout, against two setbacks.
A native of Gen. Santos City, the 26-year-old Pinoy absorbed his fourth loss in 22 fights, with 13 of those wins by knockout.
“I thought I won it going away, but all that matters is the victory. And now I have this belt for the rest of my life,” Moloney said.
“I broke my hand in the third or fourth round. It hurt every time I threw it. But I knew this was my last chance to make my dream come true,” added the Australian boxer in overcoming the pain to clinch the victory.
After the ninth round, Astrolabio was told by his cornerman he was behind on the scorecards and was urged to go all out for a knockout, only for Moloney to repeatedly dart away.
