The promoter for Willibaldo Garcia’s first title fight has claimed promotional rights to his first title defense.
BoxingScene has confirmed that Kameda Promotions outbid Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions during Thursday’s hearing for Garcia’s mandatory title defense versus Andrew Moloney. Kameda – headed by former three-division titlist Koki Kameda – bid $315,000, outpacing MP Promotions ($275,100) to secure the IBF 115lbs title fight.
A date and location were not confirmed at the time of the purse bid hearing. However, BoxingScene has learned that the bout will likely be part of a big Lush Bomu three-day event April 17-19 in Kyrgyzstan.
Mexico’s Garcia, 23-6-2 (13 KOs) is due 85 percent of the winning bid. The balance will go to Australia’s Moloney, 27-4 (16 KOs), though the opportunity and the timing far outweighed the financial attachment to the fight for the mandatory challenger in waiting.
There were plenty of sidebars attached to this fight, including desperate measures to push
Garcia towards a full unification bout with lineal, RING, WBC, WBA and WBO champ Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 23-0 (16 KOs). Matchroom Boxing, representing Rodriguez on that end, offered a lucrative step-aside package to Moloney, 27-4 (16 KOs) to move forward with the undisputed championship.
Moloney was not interested in waiting any longer than has already been the case, however.
The former secondary WBA titleholder begrudgingly permitted Garcia to move forward with a voluntary defense versus former two-division champ Kenshiro Teraji. Their scheduled December 27 clash – as part of the “Japan vs. The World” show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – came with the written consent from Garcia and Teraji both that the winner had to next face Moloney without exception.
Garcia wound up falling ill shortly after the pre-fight weigh-in. He never made it to the IBF second-day weight check, and the short notice also left a furious Teraji without an opponent.
Additionally, the development left Garcia without wiggle room to avoid the overdue mandatory.
Garcia has yet to defend the title he claimed in a split decision victory over countryman Rene Calixto in their IBF 115lbs title fight rematch last May 23 in Zacatecas, Mexico. The win came five months after the two fought to a spirited draw in their December 2024 vacant title fight on a Kameda Promotions show in Tokoname, Japan.
Moloney fought just once in 2025, a rust-shaking knockout victory in Suva, Fiji. The opportunity was secured after his time was wasted in an oft-rescheduled and ultimately canceled IBF title eliminator versus former title challenger Argi Cortes.
Kameda Promotions was required to submit ten percent of the winning bid - $31,500 – and will need to make an additional ten percent payment within five business days to validate the session.
