The IBF junior-bantamweight final eliminator between Argi Cortes and Andrew Moloney has been postponed for a second time, shifting seven days to Friday, 16 August in Durango, Mexico. Moloney announced the adjustment on social media, writing: “The date’s changed but the mission remains the same.”
The contest was first pencilled in for 19 July, then rescheduled to 9 August before this latest, and hopefully final, tweak. At stake is the next mandatory shot at IBF champion Willibaldo Garcia.
Cortes, ranked No. 3 by the IBF, has not boxed since a ninth-round stoppage of Salvador Juarez last August. The 30-year-old Mexico City southpaw’s only recent defeats came on the cards against Juan Francisco Estrada and Junto Nakatani in successive title bids.
Moloney, No. 4 with the IBF, is determined to earn another crack at world honours after losing his secondary WBA belt to Joshua Franco in 2020 and suffering a knockout against Nakatani two years ago. The 34-year-old Australian has gone 2-1 since, most recently blasting out Jakrawut Majungoen inside three rounds last December.
With the eliminator finally set, both teams can reset camp calendars and focus on the task at hand: punching a ticket to a title fight later in the year.
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