Nakatani vs Moloney

Who won Nakatani vs Moloney?

Junto Nakatani beat Andrew Moloney by knockout in the 12th round on Saturday 20th May 2023 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Super Flyweight division, which meant the weight limit was 115 pounds (8.2 stone or 52.2 KG).

This contest was for the WBO super flyweight championship of the world.

This fight appeared on the undercard of Devin Haney beating Vasyl Lomachenko for the IBF World Lightweight, WBA Super World Lightweight, WBC World Lightweight and WBO World Lightweight championship. Also, on the undercard Raymond Muratalla beat Jeremia Nakathila, Oscar Valdez defeated Adam Lopez and Nico Ali Walsh was victorious over Danny Rosenberger.

Nakatani vs Moloney stats

Back in May 2023, Junto Nakatani stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 24 wins, zero loses and 0 draws.

Andrew Moloney made his way to the ring with a record of 25 wins, 2 loses and 0 draws.

Junto Nakatani was the younger man by 7 years, at 26 years old.

Nakatani had a height advantage of 2 inches over Moloney. That also extended to a 2-inch reach advantage.

Junto Nakatani fought out of the southpaw stance, while Andrew Moloney was an orthodox fighter.

Nakatani was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 3 less fights, and made his debut in 2015, 5 months later than Moloney, whose first professional fight was in 2014. He had fought 60 less professional rounds, 136 to Moloney's 196.

Junto Nakatani went into the fight ranked number 1 by the WBO at super flyweight.

Andrew Moloney was ranked number 2 by the WBO in the 115lb division.

Nakatani vs Moloney form

Nakatani remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Francisco Rodriguez Jr on 1st November 2022 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

Previous to that, he had won against Ryota Yamauchi on 9th April 2022 by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBO World Flyweight championship fight at Super Arena, Saitama.

Going into that contest, he had beat Angel Acosta on 10th September 2021 by technical knockout in the 4th round in their WBO World Flyweight championship fight at Tucson, Arizona, United States.

Before that, he had defeated Giemel Magramo on 6th November 2020 by knockout in the 8th round in their WBO World Flyweight championship fight at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

He had won against Philip Luis Cuerdo on 1st June 2019 by knockout in the 1st round at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.

Moloney had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Norbelto Jimenez on 16th October 2022 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia.

Previous to that, he had defeated Alexander Espinoza on 5th June 2022 by technical knockout in the 2nd round at Marvel Stadium, Victoria.

Going into that contest, he had beat Gilberto Mendoza on 9th April 2022 by knockout in the 8th round at The Hangar, California, United States.

Before that, he had won against Froilan Saludar on 21st December 2021 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at The Star Event Centre, New South Wales, Australia.

He had been beaten by Joshua Franco on 14th August 2021 by unanimous decision in their WBA World Super Flyweight championship fight at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Oklahoma, United States.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Andrew Moloney had been fighting more than Junto Nakatani.

Going to this contest, Junto Nakatani had last fought 6 months and 19 days ago, while Andrew Moloney's last outing had been 7 months and 4 days ago.

Nakatani's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 11 months and 19 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 9 months and 16 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 31 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.2 rounds on average.

Moloney's last 5 fights had come over a period of 1 year, 9 months and 6 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 4 months and 8 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 42 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 8.4 rounds on average.

What time did Nakatani vs Moloney start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:00 PM EST / 7:00 PM PST at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, United States, which was around 3:00 AM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Nakatani vs Moloney?

Nakatani vs Moloney was broadcast on ESPN+ PPV in the US, while the fight was broadcast in the United Kingdom by Sky Sports Action.

What were the odds on Nakatani vs Moloney?

Junto Nakatani was a 9/50 (-560) favourite going into the contest, while Andrew Moloney made his way into the ring at 39/10 (+390) with oddsmakers.