WBA agrees to sanction Joshua v Klitschko showdown in 2017

The possibility of British IBF champion Joshua fighting former world champion Klitschko on December 10 came about after Tyson Fury pulled out of his rematch with the Ukrainian, vacating his belts in the process.

However Klitschko suffered a minor calf injury and the two camps were unable to agree on a deal for the fight to occur so Molina stepped in to fulfil the bout.

Now the WBA have confirmed that provided Joshua beats Molina they will sanction a fight between him and Klitschko at some point in 2017, most likely March or April.

Speaking to ESPN Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente said "Team Klitschko is very happy about this WBA resolution

"Wladimir always was a proud and committed WBA 'Super' champion and now he wants to regain his title. From the beginning, Wladimir made clear how important it is to him that the WBA title is on the line in his next fight.

"Hopefully, Anthony Joshua wins his upcoming fight against Molina and then we have a mega event, a promoter's dream fight coming true in March or April. Two Olympic super heavyweight gold-medal winners fighting each other, the young lion challenging the old lion. This is a fight each boxing fan around the world wants to see."