Andrew Moloney confident he would beat Phumelele Cafu and Kosei Tanaka if given a shot

Few people were more disappointed than Andrew Moloney when Kosei Tanaka lost his WBO super flyweight belt to Phumelele Cafu at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Monday night.

The veteran Australian contender, 33, had hoped to land himself a shot at Tanaka in the lucrative Japanese market.

Those dreams were dashed when South Africa’s Cafu delivered the performance of a lifetime, dropping Tanaka in the fifth round and finishing the fight strongly to defeat the four-weight world champion via split decision.

“The plan was to target the WBO and really chase that Tanaka fight, but that all fell apart on Monday night,” said Moloney (26-4-1NC, 16 KOs) to The Ring. “I think the WBO is probably still the direction we will go, but I’m not too sure whether they have a rematch clause and if Tanaka will take it. But after watching last night’s…