Astrolabio going for a knockout in world title fight against Moloney

Bantamweight contender Vincent Astrolabio plans to leave no stone unturned when he takes on Jason Moloney for the vacant WBO world bantamweight title on May 13 at Stockton Arena in California, USA.

The 25-year-old Astrolabio (18-3, 13KOs) is coming off two highly impressive wins over former world champion Guillermo Rigondeaux and Nikolai Potapov last year. His performances catapulted him to contender status which he plans to make the most out of on fight night.

“I am excited to fight Moloney because this is a world title shot. I am going to beat him, this is what we are waiting for to become a world champion. I see that he is weak in body shots. We will focus on that then go on top,” Astrolabio said in an interview on Sparring Sessions.

Moloney (25-2, 19KOs), on the other hand, is riding a four-fight winning streak since getting stopped by Naoya Inoue in 2020. According to Astrolabio’s head coach Nonoy Neri, their upcoming foe has holes that Astrolabio can exploit.

“I am confident regardless of the opponent. It will be a good fight against Moloney, he is good but not that durable,” Neri said.

“Moloney likes to jab so we would come in while also utilizing the jab. The way I see it, he is easy to counter. [Astrolabio] has a huge chance of winning by knockout. I trust his power and confidence, he is different now.”’

When finally asked for a prediction, the Filipino contender only had one word to say.

“Knockout,” Astrolabio quipped.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News