The former WBO bantamweight titlist will now turn his attention to WBC ruler Takuma Inoue's defense of his WBC belt against esteemed former four-weight titleholder Kazuto Ioka at the Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, on Saturday.

"I think this is a very interesting fight and one I'll be watching with a close eye," Moloney (29-4, 20 KOs) told The Ring. "I have watched both Takuma and Ioka closely throughout their careers and always hoped they may be future opponents of mine."

The Inoue-Ioka fight will be chief support to The Ring undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue's clash against three-division champion Junto Nakatani in an all-Japanese mega-fight at Tokyo Dome.

While Takuma has largely been in Naoya's considerable shadow, Moloney feels he's enjoyed a good career in his own right.

"The reality of having a brother who is as good as Naoya is that he is probably always going to somewhat be in his shadows and compared to him," he said.

"But I think Takuma has shown he is continuing to improve and has become a solid champion in his own right. A win over a very credible opponent in Ioka will certainly help to build his legacy and further establish himself as an elite fighter."

While Ioka, who has won world titles at strawweight, junior flyweight, flyweight and junior bantamweight, has enjoyed a very productive career in his own right.

"Becoming a five-weight world champion is a serious feat that demands huge respect," said Moloney. "If he is able to accomplish this it would place him amongst some of the all-time greats."

Both fighters have certain things they need to do to win this fight.

"I was pretty impressed with Takuma's last performance against Tenshin [Nasukawa] and I think he goes into this fight in great form and full of confidence," he said. "Really I think if he is able to carry this form and boxes the way he did against Tenshin then he will have every chance of winning again."

Meanwhile, Moloney believes Ioka has to make it his fight and Inoue out of his comfort zone.

"Ioka is a no frills fighter that just seems to get the job done," he said. "He is solid in all areas and perhaps the bigger puncher of the two.

"I think Ioka's best chance of winning the fight is to win by knockout."

When all is said and done, Moloney believes it is the champions moment to shine.

"This is a very interesting fight that I could see going either way, but I think Takuma who comes into the fight as the champion and coming off the back of a great performance against Tenshin has the momentum behind him to take control of the fight and retain his title," he said.

"My prediction is that the fight will go the distance, but Takuma will win a convincing points decision. Takuma by unanimous decision: 117-111."