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Jason Maloney was set to fight Colombian-born Oscar Negrete but a late injury means he will now fight Mexico's Leonardo Baez in Las Vegas.
Australian boxer Jason Moloney has said he doesn't care how big, strong or well-credentialled his opponent is for this month's bout in Las Vegas.
It's just as well because the height, size and names of his opponents keep changing.
Moloney discovered at the weekend he will be facing tall, rangy Mexican brawler Leonardo Baez in the ESPN-televised June 25 bantamweight bout at the MGM Grand Casino.
"That's boxing," Moloney told AAP on Sunday.
"Expect the unexpected."
Moloney, a top-five rated bantamweight, and his twin brother Andrew, the WBA super flyweight champion, were given the green light last month to fly to Las Vegas for bouts at the MGM despite strict US-Australia coronavirus travel restrictions.
Moloney was originally set to fight Chicago bantamweight Joshua Greer Jr, but when that fell through he was matched with Colombian-born bantamweight Oscar Negrete.
Greer Jr and Negrete are both 163cm tall, while Moloney is 165cm.
But a medical check over the weekend found Negrete had a detached retina, forcing him out and sending promoters Top Rank scrambling to find a suitable opponent for Moloney.
The 175cm tall Baez is a super bantamweight and will have to shed weight to drop a division and make the 53.5kg bantamweight mark.
Baez has a reach of 174cm, a big advantage over Moloney's 170cm.
"I've had nearly 100 amateur and professional fights in my career and have done a lot of sparring different styles, so I'm confident fighting whoever they put in front of me," Moloney said.
Moloney's smaller sparring partners for the Negrete fight have since been switched with taller boxers and he immediately began studying videos of Baez's fights.
The Melbourne-born, Kingscliff-based 29-year-old hopes a win over Baez in front of the huge ESPN TV audience will set up a world-title fight.
Andrew Moloney will defend his title against Texan challenger Joshua Franco on June 23.
Top Rank is attempting to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic by constructing a "bubble" at the MGM for boxers involved in a busy schedule of fights at the casino.
The bubble features the ring for the televised bouts, training facilities and living areas.
Next week the Moloneys, currently living in a Las Vegas house and undergoing regular COVID-19 testing, will move into the bubble and remain until their bouts are completed.
Jason Moloney has a 20 win (17 KOs), one loss professional record.
Baez has 18 wins (nine KOs) and two losses.
"It's not ideal when you switch a fighter, but it is the nature of the sport," Moloney's manager Tony Tolj said.
"We back Jason's ability against anyone and it's not a matter of if but a matter of when he will fight for a world title."
