Andrew Moloney's decades of hard knocks and significant sacrifice have paid off after the Australian challenger won a 12-round war to claim the IBF super flyweight world title in Japan.
The 35-year-old mandatory opponent knocked back almost $350,000 to step aside and instead take on Mexican champion Willibaldo Garcia, collecting barely a fifth of that sum for the chance to claim the belt.
Moloney had sensationally quit the sport two years ago after a controversial loss in Perth but reversed his call and, after two bounce back wins, was rewarded with a majority decision (115-113, 114-114, 115-113) in Aichi.
The former Commonwealth Games champion first fought as an amateur in 2008 and turned professional in 2014.
"I am the happiest man in the world," Moloney said in the ring after joining cruiserweight Jai Opetaia as the country's only current male world boxing champions.
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