Andrew Moloney's little boy Lee still doesn't know why dad spends so much time away. But at two years old, "he knows I'm gone".
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That's why this loss hurts more than the number on his professional boxing record. It's why Moloney was so desperate to get his hands on the WBA regular super flyweight championship.
Because when he gets home, he was going to give that belt to Lee. It was going to be "his forever".
Instead, the belt stays with American Joshua Franco, who claimed a unanimous decision victory over Moloney to the tune of 116-112 on all three scorecards at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Sunday AEST.
Now Moloney returns home to Australia empty-handed, where he will spend 14 days locked in a hotel room without a title belt but with so much time to think about where it went wrong.
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Nine months Moloney had waited for this opportunity. A trilogy fight with Franco, to claim the belt so many thought should already be his after their second bout was controversially ruled a no decision despite a 28-minute review showing Moloney's jab had busted his rival, not a head clash.
He sacrificed time at home with his family to base himself in Las Vegas alongside his twin brother Jason.
They flew to the United States a month ago, after a last-minute flight cancellation forced Moloney to miss his son's birthday dinner, all to chase the dream.
"I was really looking forward to having my son's birthday with him this year because I missed his first birthday by one day while we were stuck in hotel quarantine," Moloney said.
"I was looking forward to having his birthday with him this year and I had a birthday dinner organised with some family. I was really looking forward to it.
"Then I got a phone call at about lunchtime saying 'tomorrow's flight is cancelled, you have to get on a flight this afternoon, otherwise we're not going to be there for a few days and it will disrupt training camp'.
"I hadn't even packed, because it was his birthday, I'd left it to the last minute. I basically had to get home and pack in 20 minutes and get out the door.
"We cancelled the dinner and had a little carrot cake from the airport which certainly wasn't the same. I'm still thankful I was able to spend some of his birthday with him this year.
"One day he will understand why I spent so much time away."
Franco seemed in control for much of the bout though he hit the canvas in the seventh round. Referee Jack Reiss called it a knockdown before overturning that ruling after video replays showed Moloney's punch had missed.
With a trilogy completed in Franco's favour - two victories with a no decision which should have gone to Moloney - the Australia's next step remains something of an unknown.
Moloney is trying to establish himself as a force in the super flyweight division, one he believes boasts "three or four guys that will be hall of famers in the future".
Big fights for the 30-year-old as well, bouts he wants to bring to Australia as the sport enjoys a mainstream revival down under. But now the path to get those fights is anything but clear.
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