Astrolabio lost to Moloney by a close majority decision. Judge Robert Hoyle scored it 115-113 and judge Zachary Young saw it 116-112 for Moloney, while judge Tom Carusone had it at a 114-114 draw.
Moloney used his speed and fluid movement to outbox the 26-year-old Astrolabio.
Astrolabio had his moments in the fight, landing a right uppercut and a counter left hook in the fifth round.
Moloney continued to have success, using his jab as his main arsenal in the second half of the fight.
In round eight, Astrolabio landed another big shot, a right hand late in the round.
Moloney, however, was moving around the ring and continued to use his jab to pile up some points.
Astrolabio did his best but was unable to land that killer blow.
Astrolabio’s six-fight winning streak was broken after his loss to the 32-year-old Moloney in his first world title attempt. He was coming off huge wins over decorated Cuban star Guillermo Rigondeaux and Nikolai Potapov.
Moloney finally became a world champion on his third try. He previously lost to Emmanuel Rodriguez and Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in his first two world title attempts.
Astrolabio dropped to 18-4 with 13 knockouts, while Moloney improved to 26-2 with 19 knockouts. (EKA)