Argi Cortes and Andrew Moloney will move forward with their ordered IBF title eliminator.
BoxingScene has confirmed that a deal was reached between camps before the imposed deadline for their junior bantamweight clash. A purse bid won’t be necessary for their matchup, which is targeted for July 19 in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Ring was first to report that the two sides agreed to terms for the contest.
The Cortes-Moloney winner will become the mandatory challenger to the IBF 115lbs title. The belt was recently claimed by Willibaldo Garcia, 23-5-2 (13 KOs), who defeated Rene Calixto, 23-1-1 (9 KOs) in their May 23 rematch in Zacatecas, Mexico.
Cortes-Moloney was ordered ahead of that title fight and given a 15-day window to reach an agreement. Cortes is promoted by Zanfer Boxing, headed by Fernando Beltran who will present the forthcoming event in July. Moloney is represented Tony Tolj, who has guided the former secondary titlist since his pro debut.
Both fighters enter this bout with title fight experience.
Mexico City’s Cortes, 27-4-2 (11 KOs) has become best known for his spirited defeats more so than any given victory. He is the only fighter to go the distance with Junto Nakatani in a title fight. Cortes extended the three-division titlist the full twelve rounds in a September 2023 points loss for Nakatani’s WBO 115lbs title.
That moment came 54 weeks after a tough loss to countryman and then-lineal junior bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada in their September 2022 thriller in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Cortes rebounded from the defeat to Nakatani with two wins. His most recent victory came in a ninth-round knockout of Salvador Juarez last August 4 at home in Mexico City.
Australia’s Moloney, 27-4 (17 KOs) previously held a secondary version of the WBA junior bantamweight title. He lost it to Joshua Franco in their June 2020 meeting for his first defeat, and in a fight that sparked a trilogy where Moloney went 0-2 with one very bizarre No-Contest.
A four-fight win streak paved the way to a May 2022 vacant WBO 115lbs. title fight with Nakatani. Moloney suffered a violent 12th round knockout, as he was starched with just 18 seconds to go in their meeting in Las Vegas.
Moloney has since won two of his last three contests. The lone defeat was a narrow split decision to Pedro Guevara in their interim WBC 115 lbs title fight last May 12 in Perth, Australia.
In his most recent start, Moloney knocked out Jakrawut Majungoen in the fourth round last December 15 in Flemington, Australia. He was then summoned to enter talks with former four-division champ Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez, 52-4 (42 KOs), a fight he long craved.
However, talks never got off the ground, which prompted Moloney’s team to explore the IBF route. He will now hit the road in hopes of at least one more title run.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .