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AAP
AAP
Sport
Murray Wenzel

Moloney brothers in talks for world title boxing shots

Twin brothers Andrew (L) and Jason Moloney (R) are in line for world title fights next time out. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Andrew Moloney and his boxing twin brother Jason are both poised for world title shots after the decks were cleared in their divisions.

Talks are underway for Andrew to fight Junto Nakatani for the WBO super flyweight title vacated by another Japanese in Kazuto Ioka.

A rift between promoters squashed Jason's scheduled WBC bantamweight world title fight with Nonito Donaire.

But the Australian is now instead in the frame to challenge for the vacant WBO belt, potentially against Filipino Reymart Gaballo, after undisputed champion Naoya Inoue opted to move up in weight.

Ioka has done the same, opting not to fight Nakatani (24-0, 16 KOs) after he earned mandatory challenger status in exchange for the vacation of his WBO flyweight title.

No.2 contender Andrew Moloney (25-2, 16 KOs, 1 no contest) was the next man in line and AAP understands his camp is confident a deal to stage the fight will be struck.

Moloney won the interim WBA title in 2019 and was upgraded to regular champion before the COVID-19 pandemic, before losing his first defence over 12 rounds to Joshua Franco.

He then thought he'd won the rematch in the second round, only for the fight to be ruled a no contest when it was deemed Franco's badly swollen eye was the result of an accidental head clash and not a punch.

Moloney then lost the trilogy fight, but has won his last four contests to surge back into the reckoning.

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