Jason Moloney isn’t just brave enough to go head-to-head with the best fighters on the planet, but he also has the courage to remove disruptive snakes from his gym.
Renowned for his ferocious work rate and unrelenting will to win, ‘Mayhem’ has cemented his status as one of the greatest boxers in Australian history.
From starting with just a dream, the warrior has gone on a crazy journey featuring the opportunity to spar Vasiliy Lomachenko with his brother Andrew Moloney, to scaling the mountain by defeating Vincent Astrolabio to capture the WBO bantamweight world title.
But perhaps his most amusing tale is having to remove the limbless reptiles that turn up while he’s trying to hone his craft during intense training sessions.
Jason Moloney once put a snake in his training partner’s gym bag
Australia is home to some of the most remarkable animals in the world, from kangaroos to koala bears and even snakes, with the latter occasionally turning up to pester Jason Moloney while he’s training.
The popular athlete, who’s scheduled to go to war with Tenshin Nasukawa in an eagerly-anticipated clash on February 24 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, hasn’t had his sparring interrupted for a while, but occasionally, he’s given a fright when the creatures invade his gym, and it’s up to him to get them out.
While Moloney is always willing to step up to the plate and remove them from the premises, he’s also not opposed to playing the odd hilarious practical joke.
In an exclusive interview with Bloody Knockout, he explained: “That’s funny. A lot of people seem to be pretty impressed by that. My coach has got a big gym on his property. He’s got 18 acres out here in Australia.
“He’s on a lot of land, and with a lot of land in Australia, you get some intruders. So, we get a fair few snakes in the gym.
“We always have a bit of fun with it, and somebody has to do the job of getting the snakes out of the gym.
“I’m certainly no snake wrangler, but I have grabbed a few from time to time, and I do my best to get them out of the gym without being bitten.
“We’ve played some good tricks on a few of the boys; we put one in one of the boys’ gym bags to stitch him up. It’s just a bit of fun.”
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Is Jason Moloney frightened by the snakes?
After watching the videos of Moloney putting the snakes outside, many might conclude that the Aussie is boxing’s equivalent of Steve Irwin.
However, the 34-year-old confesses he’s terrified of the slithery little fellas. But in a testament to the courage the icon has developed through setting foot in the ring, as long as his trainer tells him they’re not venomous, he’s willing to face his fears.
He laughed: “That’s what everyone thinks when they see the videos. They think I’m cool, calm, and collected, but I’m s****ing myself on the inside. I certainly don’t like the snakes myself.
“I don’t even know what they are or how dangerous they are. My coach just says, ‘That’s not a venomous one, you’ll be alright’. I just grab them by the tail and get them out of there as quick as I can.”