WBO bantamweight champion Jason ‘Mayhem’ Moloney 27-2 (19) credits his experience and desire for getting him through multiple rough spots in his thrilling 12-round majority decision victory over Saul ‘The Beast’ Sanchez 20-3 (12) at the Videotron Center in Quebec City, Canada on Saturday night.
The 33-year-old Australian not only had his hands full with a determined Sanchez, he also had to battle through the blood seeping into his right eye courtesy of an unintentional clash of heads in the third round.
Moloney, who was making the first defence of his strap, eventually prevailed by scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 114-114. He knew he had to dig deep in the championship rounds when he returned to his stool at the end of the 10th.
“And that is when I told myself ‘this where you’re best work is done… go show how badly you want this’,” Moloney told Fox Sports Australia.
Moloney admitted it was one of the most gruelling fights of his career, with the 26-year-old Sanchez of Pacoima, California, asking tough questions of the champion throughout the bout.
“There were a few head clashes throughout the fight – it was a brutal war – and you just have to deal with everything as best as you can,” Moloney said.
“But it was hard. I was trying to wipe the blood whenever I could get a chance to see clearly. And he (Sanchez) could tell, too. He was trying to jump on me at times.
“But mentally before every fight, you prepare yourself to deal with anything – knockdown, injury, broken hand, head cut.
“I prepare myself for those moments so that when they do come I don’t panic, I stay composed and then work my way through it.
“And that’s what I did. I wiped the blood out and dealt with it as best as I could.
“And I left it all in the ring tonight. I’m absolutely spent. I have the belt here with me in the room, that just makes it so special.”
The final two rounds of the bout clinched the deal for Moloney, who landed the harder shots to close the show.
“When it got to round 10, I knew things were close,” Moloney said. “I knew at that stage it could go either way. So I just said to myself ‘go show how badly you want this’.
“Then, the end of the eleventh I thought ‘yep, that’s mine, let’s do it again’. And for the twelfth, while he came out hard we got on top.
“We’ve seen the scorecards since, too – I won the eleventh with all three judges and then I won the twelfth with two of the three.
“So it was the championship rounds that got me home. And that’s why I train so hard. That’s why I make all the sacrifices and live the life of a proper professional.
“I’ve said how hungry I was for this one. He said I was overlooking him. I said I wasn’t. And I showed how hungry I am tonight.
“When it came down to who wanted it more, it was me.”