How Joshua knocked out Molina to retain his IBF title

Eighteen fights into his professional career, Anthony Joshua is still looking for a real challenge. Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) made the second successful defense of his IBF World heavyweight title on Saturday night at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, scoring a third-round TKO victory against an overmatched Eric Molina.

Joshua cracked Molina with a crushing straight right hand to the jaw with just over a minute remaining in the third, knocking him to the canvas. Slumped over in the corner with a dazed look on his face, Molina was the picture of defeat.

Molina took a nine count but was not long for the bout. Joshua pounced immediately, and after the champ landed a few sharp blows, the referee waved off the bout and handed the 27-year-old Watford man the victory.

With the (admittedly low) Molina hurdle cleared, Joshua is now in the clear to put his IBF title on the line against Wladimir Klitschko, who lorded over the heavyweight division for the better part of a decade before losing a unanimous decision to Tyson Fury in November 2015. It will be the biggest test of Joshua’s nascent career.

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn brought Klitschko, who was watching ringside, into the squared circle and confirmed the date and location of the bout
Klitschko will look to have his hands full in that one, as Joshua has overwhelmed every opponent he’s faced to this point and is no worse for wear after his bout against Molina.

The 34-year-old Molina was in survivalist mode from the opening bell, holding his gloves high to protect his head, retreating into the ropes and grabbing hold of Joshua when he felt the danger level rising.

Joshua spent the first two rounds scanning for an opening in Molina’s defensive shell. He broke through with a hard left to the body at the tail end of the first round and got a rise out of the crowd. A hard shot to the skull in the second round was simply a signal that the end was imminent.
Before anyone thought the fight would drag on in a dull fashion, Molina got the idea to attack. However, as soon as Molina started to throw punches in the third round, Joshua made quick, brutally efficient work of him.

BoxingScene.com’s David Greisman noted that Molina might give up his recent switch to full-time boxing and return to his career as a special education teacher.

Simply put, Joshua will be as fresh as can be when he fights Klitschko in April. He hardly has a blemish on him after 18 bouts. Dillian Whyte and Dominic Breazeale remain the only two men to push Joshua past the third round, and both lost by TKO in the seventh round.

Joshua vs. Klitschko is a mouth-watering match-up for heavyweight boxing fans. The ahead-of-schedule Joshua has established himself as the best of a new generation of heavyweights, while Klitschko stands as the once-unbeatable avatar of an older guard.