One of boxing's top pound-for-pound stars returns to the United States for the first time in over three years when Japan's Naoya Inoue defends the IBF and WBA (super) bantamweight titles against former title challenger Jason Moloney from the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas.
Inoue's debut in the U.S. was a rousing success when he stopped Antonio Nieves in the sixth round in September 2017. Since then, the three-division world champion has blasted through his last five opponents, with four of those wins coming via knockout and all of them inside of three rounds. Last November, Inoue beat Nonito Donaire by unanimous decision in one of the best fights of 2019 to win the World Boxing Super Series bantamweight final. Many boxing fans have called Inoue the Japanese version of Mike Tyson because of his scintillating knockouts, combined with the fact that out of the 27-year-old's 19 wins, 16 of them have been inside the distance.
But standing in the way of Inoue's return to the States is Moloney. In his lone world title shot, Moloney lost a narrow split decision to Emmanuel Rodriguez in October 2018. Moloney goes into the biggest fight of his career, having won four straight bouts, all by knockout. The Australian fought inside the "Bubble" in June, scoring a KO over Leonardo Baez.
Will Inoue be able to make a gigantic splash and let the U.S. fans know he's for real? Or does Moloney play the role of spoiler?
Here's everything you need to know about Naoya Inoue vs. Jason Moloney.
Naoya Inoue vs. Jason Moloney fight date, start time
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
- Undercard: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET
The Inoue vs. Moloney undercard kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the main card, beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Ewa Brodnicka defends her WBO female junior lightweight title against Mikaela Mayer that will serve as the co-feature to start the main card.
How to watch, live stream Inoue vs. Moloney
- ESPN+
You can watch the Inoue vs. Moloney undercard and main card live on ESPN+, which is $5.99 a month or $49.99 annually. Current subscribers can watch the fight as part of their plan.
Where is the Inoue vs. Moloney fight?
The Inoue vs. Moloney fight will be held at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas. Top Rank just held its Vasiliy Lomachenkp vs. Teofimo Lopez unified lightweight title bout at the venue two weeks ago. This will mark Inoue's first outing inside "The Bubble" while Moloney competes there for the second time.
Naoya Inoue record and bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: April 10, 1993
- Height: 5-5
- Reach: 67.5 inches
- Total fights: 19
- Record: 19-0 with 16 knockouts
Jason Moloney record and bio
- Nationality: Australian
- Born: January 10, 1991
- Height: 5-5
- Reach: 65 inches
- Total fights: 22
- Record: 21-1 with 18 knockouts
Inoue vs. Moloney fight card
Main card
- Naoya Inoue vs. Jason Moloney for Inoue's IBF/WBA Bantamweight titles
- Ewa Brodnicka vs. Mikaela Mayer for Brodnicka's WBO female Junior Lightweight title
Preliminary card
- Robson Conceição vs. Luis Coria; Junior Lightweight
- Andres Cortes vs. George Acosta; Junior Lightweight
- Julian Rodriguez vs. Jose Eduardo Lopez Rodriguez; Junior Welterweight
- Jared Anderson vs. Luis Eduardo Pena; Heavyweight
- Andy Hiraoka vs. Rickey Edwards; Junior Welterweight