Andrew Moloney knocks out Miguel Gonzalez in WBA eliminator

Australian super flyweight Andrew Moloney went on the road to Chile on Friday night for a WBA eliminator against Miguel Gonzalez, and made it a road trip to remember, knocking Gonzalez out in the eighth round to earn a shot at titleholder Khalid Yafai.

Moloney (19-0, 12 KO) overpowered Gonzalez (29-2, 6 KO), whose team had won a purse bid, allowing them to host the fight in Chile, which is not exactly a hotbed for big league boxing.

Gonzalez was credited with a knockdown in the fifth round, but it was a slip by Moloney, called a knockdown by Argentine referee Romina Arroyo, a veteran who has been in the ring for several world title fights in many countries over the years.

Moloney didn’t leave anything up to potential home cooking, though, cracking Gonzalez with a pair of left hooks that put him on the canvas in the eighth round. Gonzalez got up, but was a clear mess, and Arroyo stopped the fight at 2:50.

Moloney, who won flyweight gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games before turning pro, is the twin brother of bantamweight contender Jason Moloney, who lost a split decision last October against IBF titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez in a World Boxing Super Series fight.

As for getting that shot at Yafai (25-0, 15 KO), time will tell if/when we see that. Yafai has been ordered by the WBA to face Norbelto Jimenez (29-8-4, 16 KO) next, and that fight is being worked on for the Joshua-Miller card on June 1.