Anthony Joshua has moved to 18-0 with a convincing third-round stoppage of Eric Molina at the Manchester Arena this evening.

The 27-year-old successfully defended his IBF world heavyweight title for the second time, maintaining his perfect record heading into an expected showdown with Wladimir Klitschko next year.

It was utter dominance from the opening bell as Molina immediately shrank back to the ropes and allowed Joshua to control proceedings from the middle of the ring.

The challenger was a little more positive in the second, but Joshua patiently took his time and caught Molina with a good left hook towards the end of another tentative round.

Joshua did come out quickly in the third round, but Molina looked to halt any momentum by holding the champion when he got close, drawing a talking-to from the referee.

It was clear that Joshua had stepped up a gear, though, and he knocked Molina down before following up with a quick flurry that forced the referee to call an end to the contest.

Joshua has now won all 18 of his fights via knockout and is expected to take on Klitschko in a heavyweight mega-fight April 2017.