Britain’s Anthony Joshua on Saturday set up a showdown in April next year with veteran heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko after retaining his International Boxing Federation (IBF) world title with a clinical third-round stoppage of outclassed Eric Molina of the US.
After two probing opening rounds, 2012 Olympic super heavyweight champion Joshua sent his opponent crashing to the canvas for his 18th win inside the distance in as many professional fights.
Molina, 34, clambered unsteadily back to his feet as the count reached eight, but the referee stepped in again to stop the fight after 2 minutes, 2 seconds of the round, with a technical knockout declared.
Photo: AFP
The Texan had fought for the world title once before, losing to Deontay Wilder for the World Boxing Council (WBC) belt last year.
Moments after the fight, promoter Eddie Hearn stepped into the ring to announce an April 29 bout against Ukrainian Klitschko at London’s Wembley Stadium for the “unified heavyweight championship of the world.”
That can be taken as hyperbole, much as Hearn’s assertion that it would be the “biggest fight in British boxing history,” with New Zealand’s Joseph Parker the newly-crowned World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion and the US’ Wilder still holding the WBC belt.
Britain’s Tyson Fury, who beat Klitschko in November last year, vacated the World Boxing Association (WBA) and WBO belts in October after having his license suspended pending an investigation of anti-doping and medical issues.
He had already been stripped of the IBF belt for not fighting a mandatory challenger.
The WBA last month officially sanctioned the match between the two fighters for the vacant title.
CRAWFORD VS MOLINA
AFP, OMAHA, Nebraska
Champion Terence Crawford on Saturday easily defended his WBO and WBC belts by stopping brawler John Molina in the eighth round of their junior welterweight title fight.
Crawford dominated the fight from the opening bell, landing precision head shots and bruising body blows through the first seven rounds then taking out the challenger with a series of rights late in the eighth round.
“I showed everything in this fight,” said Crawford, who improved to 30-0. “Give credit to John Molina, because he came to fight.”
Crawford, 29, was rarely tested in his third fight of the year in front of his hometown fans as he landed 109 punches through eight rounds, compared with just 22 for Molina.
The 2014 fighter of the year said he wants his next fight to be against Philippine champion Manny Pacquiao.
“I would love to fight Pacquiao, but it is a business. Right now I want to fight anyone with a title. I want them belts... If I can’t get Pacquiao, I want the belts,” he said.
Molina showed determination and big heart, but he was no match for the quick hands and smooth footwork of Crawford, who was the heavy favorite coming into the fight at the CenturyLink Center Omaha.
Crawford pinned a defenseless Molina in the corner, then landed three straight right hands before the referee stepped in and stopped the slaughter as the challenger slumped to the canvas.
Crawford started this year with an impressive fifth-round knockout of Henry Lundy in February and followed it up five months later with two knockdowns while cruising to a one-sided decision over Viktor Postol to unify the titles in Las Vegas.
MARES VS CUELLAR
AP, LOS ANGELES
Abner Mares on Saturday night knocked down Jesus Cuellar in the 11th round and hung on for a split-decision victory to claim Cuellar’s WBA featherweight title.
Mares (30-2-1) earned his fourth world title in three weight classes with a resourceful performance against Cuellar (28-2).
The powerful Argentine champion had not lost in 11 fights since October 2011, but Mares punctuated his effort with a big right hand early in the 11th round, sending the champion sprawling onto his backside.
Two judges favored Mares 117-110 and 116-111, while a third scored it for Cuellar, 115-112.
Jermall Charlo also defended his IBF 154-pound belt with a fifth-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Julian Williams at the downtown Galen Center on the University of Southern California’s campus.
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