Naoya Inoue stops Jason Moloney in seventh round of world bantamweight title defence
Japan's pound-for-pound phenom strengthens case to be regarded as the world's top boxer; he now has 17 KOs in his 20 victories and is a three-weight world champion; Inoue was making his Las Vegas debut for new promoters Top Rank; Bob Arum says "The Monster is a special fighter"
Sunday 1 November 2020 09:24, UK
Naoya Inoue floored Jason Moloney twice and stopped him in the seventh round of their world bantamweight title clash on Saturday night.
Inoue closed the show with a perfectly-timed right hand that thudded off Moloney's jaw.
The brilliant Japanese knockout artist dropped his challenger in the sixth and seventh rounds.
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The three-weight world champion successfully defended his IBF and WBA bantamweight titles on his Las Vegas debut, and his first outing under new promoters Top Rank.
Inoue said: "The final punch, the finishing punch, I'm very happy and satisfied with that punch.
"Moloney has a great defence, and it was very difficult to get through. The two punches you mentioned are something we really practiced in Japan a lot, and I was able to perform well and use it, and I'm very happy with that."
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said: "The Monster is a special fighter. I haven't seen a young fighter like that in a long time. And credit to Jason Moloney for fighting like a warrior. He gave it his absolute best."
Inoue, now undefeated in 20 fights with 17 knockouts, is rated among the world's pound-for-pound top talents.
Prior to Saturday night, he needed less than eight minutes in total to knock out three consecutive world champions, then produced a career-best effort to beat Nonito Donaire.
Watch Usyk vs Chisora repeats on Sunday November 1 at 11pm, and on Monday November 2 at 9am. Book it via your Sky remote or book it online here. Even if you aren't a Sky TV subscriber you can book and watch it here.
