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Joshua said on Tuesday he would put his IBF belt on the line
against the 34-year-old Molina, his second defense of the title
since stopping American Dominic Breazeale in the seventh round
earlier this year to take his professional record to 17-0.
Klitschko lost his IBF, WBO and WBA belts to Tyson Fury last
November but their scheduled rematch was first called off when
the Briton picked up an injury in training before it was
jettisoned due to the champion's mental health issues.
Fury, who has admitted to taking cocaine to deal with
depression, has since vacated the WBA and WBO titles, and Joshua
was linked to a Klitschko bout that fell through partly due to
confusion over whether the WBA title would be on the line.
On Wednesday, the WBA officially sanctioned the match between
the two fighters for the vacant title.
"It's been an arduous wait to gain official approval but we were
delighted to receive the news that the WBA will officially
sanction the fight," Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said in a
statement.
"We will now move forward with (Klitschko's manager) Bernd
Boente and Team Klitschko in planning the date and venue knowing
that victory against Eric Molina in Manchester on Dec. 10 is
more important than ever."
American Molina has compiled a 25-3 professional record with his
last defeat coming against undefeated WBC heavyweight champion
Deontay Wilder in June 2015.
(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John
O'Brien)
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