STOCKTON, California — Vincent Astrolabio saw his bid go up in smoke Saturday night as he allowed the fleet-footed Australian Jason Moloney to bag the World Boxing Organization bantamweight belt with a 12-round majority decision at the Stockton Arena.
Unlike Moloney, who was bouncing all night long, Astrolabio was the opposite and two of the three judges — Zachary Young and Robert Hoyle — scored 116-112 and 115-113 for the Australian.
The third judge, Tom Carusone, had it 114-114.
The decision didn’t sit well with many of those in attendance as boos cascaded down the ring when the decision was formally announced.
Astrolabio, though a bit slow and late-reacting oftentimes to Moloney’s classic combos, was the aggressor.
A few times, he had the crowd on its feet when he seemed to have hurt Moloney with digs to the head and body.
But the Filipino didn’t assume that role from start to finish and opted to be content stalking Moloney in the hopes of landing one of his bombs.
As a result, Moloney managed to dance away from trouble with Astrolabio deciding to ration his punches.
“He should have put the pressure right from the start,” exclaimed Sean Gibbons, who helped set up Astrolabio to a clash with Moloney for the vacant WBO 118-lb throne.
Gibbons did criticize Moloney for his lack of willingness to engage, stressing that all he did was jab his way to a points win.
‘Next time, I will not place the result of a fight on the judges’ hands.’
Memo Heredia, who handled Astrolabio’s strength and conditioning, philosophized that “there is winning in losing.”
“Look at how the crowd reacted (to the decision),” Heredia said, pointing out the jeers of the audience.
Astrolabio, who was fighting for the world crown for the first time, was devastated and kept on apologizing afterward.
Those around him consoled him instead and urged him to train harder so he can get another chance at becoming a world champion.
Punchstats showed why two of the judges favored Moloney, who landed 143 of 463 thrown for 30.9 percent.
Astrolabio threw 596 but was credited for 109 connections for a mere 18.3 percent success rate.
But what the compubox didn’t show was how Astrolabio put Moloney in panic mode several times when he decided to let go of his punches.
Heredia added: “He hurt him four or five times (when he attacked).”
Astrolabio, who saw his record drop to 18-4 with 13 knockouts, insists that he had learned a very hard lesson.
“Next time, I will not place the result of a fight on the judges’ hands,” he said.
That next time will definitely come, assured Gibbons.
“In 2024, he will be fighting for a world title again,” he said.
By that time, Astrolabio will be an even better fighter.
For Moloney, who had failed in his first two shots at winning a world title, the Astrolabio win was a landmark moment.
“I have this belt for the rest of my life,” Moloney said after raising his record to 26-2 with 19 knockouts.
