How Moloney brothers landed Vegas dream during pandemic
FIGHTS behind closed doors are set to become the new normal as boxing attempts to restart amid a global pandemic.
Across the world, commercial flights are a near impossibility, which makes it all the more remarkable that Australian pair Andrew and Jason Moloney find themselves in Vegas, preparing to kick-start their 2020 campaigns.
Speaking from their new base in the fight capital of the world, the likeable twins reveal their whirlwind journey from Kingscliff to Nevada.
“They’re (Top Rank) planning to do the shows in a ballroom or such out of MGM,” Andrew told the Main Event Boxing Podcast.
“I believe all of the fighters will stay there, and do the fights behind closed doors with no crowds. You’re only allowed one cornerman. They’re going to provide a cutman, so two people in the corner.
“They’re going to do fights two or three times a week, with four or five fights on each show on television. They’re going to pump them out pretty quick.”
Being signed to promotional giant Top Rank comes with a litany of privileges, including favourable placement on televised cards, as well as the ability to score career-best opportunities on a global platform.
Despite the status of their promoter and significance of their presumed next step, there was nothing glamorous about their transportation amid an international travel ban, as the WBA regular titleholder explained.
“The plane was really quiet, everyone had a row at least to themselves,” Andrew continued.
“We had to go through the immigration obviously, we had to look over our application. It actually took quite a while… once we were on the plane, there was no one on there.
“You had to wear a face mask the whole time, and use your hand sanitiser to wipe down everything. It’s certainly was a bit of a strange feeling. We got over here, and we landed in America.”
For the hard-hitting Jason, it’s a matter of being diligent in a time of extreme caution, to ensure that their travels aren’t wasted without securing their next fight date.
MOLONEY TWINS IN VEGAS – Andrew & Jason Moloney touch down in the US
With the rest of the sporting world on hold due to COVID-19 Aussie boxers Andrew and Jason Moloney have travelled from their homes in Kingscliff, New South Wales to Las Vegas, USA and are ready to fight!
“Top Rank have looked after us, they’ve put us in a really nice house over here,” added Jason.
“We’re just here at the moment, isolating at our house, and doing some training here at the moment. I believe in a few days time, they’re going to come and do a COVID test on all of us, and make sure we’re safe.
“The Top Rank gym is currently sprayed down at the moment with disinfectant… once that’s all done, and we’re all safe and COVID free, we’ll be able to train in the Top Rank gym.
“We’ve come all this way, we’ve got to be smart now.
“Once they give us the corona test, and we know we haven’t got it, and they open up the Top Rank gym, we’d like to get training there. We’re just playing it by the ear at the moment.”
Andrew (21-0, 14 KOs) and Jason (20-1, 17 KOs) have voiced their desire to compete on the next possible date, a move that surprised the key figures at the Vegas-based firm.
“We’re about 10 to 15 minutes out of town, not too far,” Jason explained.
“We went into the Top Rank office and had a quick meeting, just to say g’day, we’re here. We haven’t got an exact date set, or an opponent, but they’re working pretty hard on that.
“They were pretty shocked… we said that we’re ready to go, we’re here to fight.
“We trained really hard through this whole lockdown and stayed ready. They couldn’t believe it. They said you boys were literally the only boxers they’d spoken to that are ready to go.”
As the formalities play out over the coming weeks, the twins will continue to fine tune their tools, as matchmakers work through a slew of red tape with potential opponents.
“We said, give us a fight next week, we’re ready,” he concluded.
“I think we’re going to have to wait four to five weeks for a fight.
“We’ll just keep getting better, training and acclimatising… we’ll be jumping out of our skin once we’re ready to go.”
Photo: Provided