Japan’s Jason Moloney to take on Tsutsumi, looking for big fights against Japanese stars

A month-long training session in Japan reignited the spark for former WBO bantamweight champion Jason Moloney, who hopes to return to the ring later this year.

The 33-year-old Australian has offered his services as a sparring partner to WBA 118-pound title holder Seiya Tsutsumi after the Japanese boxer previously helped him prepare for his unsuccessful title defense against Yoshiki Takei at the Tokyo Dome in May. It seemed fair to return the favor.

Clever switch-hitter Tsutsumi, 28, dethroned Takuma Inoue by unanimous decision at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday night with scores of 117-110, 115-112 and 114-113. It was a fight that was full of aggression and Moloney fought eagerly from ringside.

Tsutsumi’s performance on the floor did not surprise Moloney, who said some of the training sessions he completed with The Ring’s No.3 bantamweight contender were among the toughest of his 10-year professional career.

“The workouts and the cuts were unbelievable,” said Moloney (27-3, 19 KOs), who is The Ring’s No. 7 bantamweight champion. “They are very grateful for my coming to help him. I gave him a big job, which he obviously paid for. He fought unbelievably; his performance was amazing. He stuck to the game plan and showed how much he wanted it. He just pushed hard the whole fight and never gave up. He was relentless and got what he deserved.

“Watching him prepare for that fight inspired him a lot. He lives and breathes this sport and trains hard. It was great to sit back and watch your husband achieve his dream of becoming a world champion. To play a small part in it was very special.”

But the trip to Japan was more than just part of Moloney’s intensive training camp. It was about him building his brand in the lucrative Japanese market as he waited for his next fight to be scheduled. He attended the Sunday and Monday night shows at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena, spending hours signing autographs, taking selfies and chatting with fans.

Speaking to The Ring just hours before he returned home to Australia on Tuesday, Moloney said it was something special.

“These two days have been unbelievable,” said Moloney, who was traveling abroad alone for the first time, and missed his daughter’s third birthday at home. “They do boxing very well here. They have a proper, strong following that loves the events, loves the fighters and really supports everyone. It was amazing to be here and see it firsthand.

“Obviously I fought here in May at the Tokyo Dome, but it was really good this time to step back a little bit and watch it and appreciate it more. I think when you fight with yourself, you block a lot. You are placed in the middle, you have a blink and you are not enjoying it to some extent. I liked the opportunity to box over there, but he’s more focused on fighting and making it difficult to sit and smell the roses while you’re on your period.”

Although he was very happy, it wasn’t all sunshine and lollypops for Moloney, who went a long way in immersing himself in the local culture.

“The food here is unbelievable,” he said. “I love it and maybe that’s what got me lost. I had a partner over here who was obviously from home and he was telling me all these different foods to try and give me some information. We started talking about chicken sashimi and he said that they eat it here because it has just been infected, you can eat it raw.

“I felt the game, I felt brave, I ate it. The next day I was fine and I thought I had it under control, I stopped. But the next morning I woke up with a fever again… let’s just say, the results lasted for over a week.

“When you slow down Seiya Tsutsumi, who doesn’t give up, and you get poisoned and you have to do eight rounds, it’s not easy. But I pushed.

“I couldn’t get out of sparring because I know what it’s like. He invested in bringing me here, so I couldn’t really call him and say ‘I can’t bend over because I have food poisoning.’ I knew I was in eight rounds and it was going to be tough, but I thought, you know, this could happen on fight day. You may wake up feeling completely rubbish, but you won’t be out of a fight. I handled it that way and was fine that night, but I was in pain. I definitely didn’t want him to hit me in the body, I can tell you that!”

Jason Moloney (right) and Saul Sanchez fought tooth and nail for 12 thrilling rounds in January 2024, with Moloney successfully defending his WBO bantamweight title via majority decision. (Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Position)

Despite his obvious friendship with Tsutsumi, Moloney says he would not give up the opportunity to face him to win the world title, adding that this fight would not be his first choice.

“It’s not something I talked to him about,” he said. “We are partners and we have both helped a lot. But we are not fighters and unfortunately, we are in this game where you have to be selfish. Obviously we’re the same weight, we have the same dreams, so I think we’d both be fighting if that was going to happen.

“Maybe it’s not my first choice as we’ve been boxing partners, but we’re both unbeaten and we both have our dreams and ambitions, so I think we can put friendship aside for 12 rounds if we have to.”

The night after winning the Tsutsumi title, WBC bantamweight title holder Junto Nakatani put on another classy display to dispatch Thai veteran Tasana Salapat, AKA Petch CP Freshmart, in six rounds. The slick Japanese southpaw picked up a last-round victory over Moloney’s twin brother Andrew in their WBO 115-pound title fight in May last year.

“It’s very exciting, the Thai player started slowly and didn’t seem to be hitting well,” said Moloney. “Then during the fourth or fifth round, he decided to go forward and let go of his hands. He looked dangerous at times. It looks like things are heating up and it’s going to be a good fight, but I think Nakatani’s class has stepped up.

“Nakatani has shown how he suffers. It was a great game from him. It will be interesting to see what he decides to do next. I know everyone keeps talking about the feud with Naoya Inoue, and that would undoubtedly be a great fight here. Whether you’re going up or looking at maybe merging, I’m not too sure what you’re going to do. It will be interesting to see what he does next.

“Yes, I would welcome the opportunity to fight him if that opportunity arises. I would like to go, although I rate him as a very capable warrior. I am always willing to test myself against the best and he is the player I will face.”

Australia’s Jason Moloney (left) got his bearings but lost his WBO bantamweight title to Yoshiki Takei by unanimous decision. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images)

A surprise opponent for Moloney would be former K1 star Tenshin Nasukawa, who moved to 5-0 with a 10-round decision victory over Gerwin Asilo by a score of 97-92. again 98-91 twice in the big support battle on Monday night. A boxing novice but combat sports veteran, the 26-year-old southpaw is a big name in his home country and is ranked third in the bantamweight division by the WBC and WBA.

“Tenshin is incredibly popular here. “He’s more popular than Nakatani and still gets a lot of attention,” said Moloney.

“His fight looked like a session. I thought the other bloke won quite a few rounds. We were very close here. We thought it was a close fight, but the cards didn’t show that.

“There are whispers that they will try to present him as a potential rival for me. Obviously I’d prefer a title fight, but he’s a big name here, so that’s another name we can consider. We will wait and see.”

Whatever the future holds, Moloney hopes to be in Japan again soon, this time as a participant, not a spectator.

He said: “Japan is where I should be. “That’s where there are four champions, so they hold the power in this division and I like it here. I want to be a part of it, I want to be in big fights and be a champion again. I knew that coming here and just being there, showing my face, talking to the fans will hopefully give me the motivation to fight here, before the end of the year, if possible.”

Just don’t expect him to eat raw chicken again anytime soon.

“I think I’ve learned my lesson,” Moloney laughed.