Australian boxer Andrew Moloney has announced his shock retirement after suffering a controversial loss to Mexico’s Pedro Guevara in their WBC interim bantamweight bout in Perth.
Moloney landed far more shots to the head in Sunday’s 12-round bout at RAC Arena and celebrated after the final bell.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Andrew Moloney quits boxing in furious interview after controversial loss.
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But the 33-year-old was left in shock when the judges scored the bout 115-113, 115-113, 113-116 in a split decision that also stunned the Moloney camp.
“I felt in total control. I did what I had to do in there tonight to get the win,” Moloney said.
“I don’t want to make excuses, but I went into this fight with a torn biceps, so I couldn’t throw the left hook unless I needed to. I didn’t feel like I needed to throw it because I was in total control.
“And, look, I just want to say thank you to Top Rank, thank you to my team for everything you’ve done for me.
“But I’m done with this sport, that’s the last you’ll see of me. I want to thank my sponsors for backing me over the years because I’m retired. I’m out. I love you all, but sorry, f*** that.”
In a separate interview, Moloney said he was “f***ing done with this sport because it’s corrupt and I can’t do anything more than I already am”.
![Moloney cut a forlorn figure after the fight.](jpg/2fb3c3eeab6472648a9ba0d7a1d4922a1bc2cadde2c3.jpg?imwidth=650&impolicy=sevennews_v2)
The fight was part of the undercard of the George Kambosos versus Vasiliy Lomachenko IBF lightweight world title bout.
Moloney entered Sunday’s fight desperate to get one back for Team Moloney, following his twin brother Jason’s defeat to Japan’s Yoshiki Takei in their WBO bantamweight title clash earlier in the week.
He started strongly against Guevara, landing a series of early heavy blows.
Guevara did well to attack Moloney’s body throughout the bout, but Moloney seemed to land the more telling blows to the head.
But it wasn’t enough to convince two of the three judges, with Moloney glaring at the judges afterwards to express his shock.
Guevara said he would give Moloney a rematch if he wanted it.
“I’d have no problem giving him a re-match,” Guevara said.
In another huge controversy on Sunday’s card, England’s Nina Hughes was awarded victory in her women’s WBA bantamweight battle against Australian Cherneka Johnson — only for the result to be flipped a minute later when organisers realised they had read out the scores in the wrong order.
Hughes was originally awarded the win by majority decision, 95-95, 96-94, 98-92.
But, while she was celebrating, both boxers were called back to the middle and told it was actually Johnson who had won, not Hughes.
“This is a joke. I thought I dominated it,” Hughes said.
Promotor Lou DiBella stepped in afterwards to apologise for the mix-up, saying they “screwed up”.
Johnson, who won the IBF super-bantamweight title in 2022 but lost the belt to Ellie Scotney last year, was over the moon to be awarded the win after the mix-up.
“I’m just glad they figured out the wrong decision,” Johnson said.
- with 7NEWS
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