The Anthony Joshua bandwagon hits the road on Saturday, as the IBF heavyweight champion defends his world title against Eric Molina in Manchester, England.Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs) has made the O2 Arena in London his home patch in the paid ranks. But, after five successive outings at the venue, he's headed north for the second defence of the crown he so emphatically took from Charles Martin in April.Standing in the opposite corner this time is Molina (25-3, 19 KOs), a tough Texan best known for pushing Deontay Wilder into Round 9 last year.The Anglo-American clash tops a bill that also includes one other world-title fight. Khalid Yafai bids to become the first Brit to win a major belt at super flyweight when he faces WBA champion Luis Concepcion.Also in action, domestic rivals Dillian Whyte and Dereck Chisora go head-to-head in a battle with added spice after the latter through a table towards his opponent at Wednesday's press conference.Callum Smith defends his British super middleweight strap against Luke Blackledge, while Scott Quigg makes his return from a broken jaw at featherweight, taking on Jose Cayetano.Add in Luis Ortiz, who takes on David Allen in an eight-rounder, a second pro outing for Katie Taylor, plus an ill-tempered meeting between domestic light heavyweights Hosea Burton and Frank Buglioni, and there's something for everyone to enjoy on a packed pay-per-view card.When: Saturday, December 10, 10:30 p.m. GMT (5:30 p.m. ET)Where: Manchester Arena, Manchester, EnglandTV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK), Showtime (US)Form Guide (most recent fight first)Anthony JoshuaEric MolinaW Dominic Breazeale (TKO 7)W Tomasz Adamek (KO 10)W Charles Martin (KO 2)W Rodricka Ray (TKO 6)W Dillian Whyte (TKO 7)L Deontay Wilder (KO 9)W Gary Cornish (TKO 1)W Raphael Zumbano Love (TKO 8)W Kevin Johnson (TKO 2)W Theo Kruger (TKO 3)BoxRecStar WarsIt would be easy for Joshua to look beyond Molina, yet the Englishman has shown no signs of complacency in his preparations for his third and final fight in 2016.While the mouthwatering matchup with Wladimir Klitschko couldn't quite be made in time for December of this year, the plan is in place for the pair to fight next year instead.According to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, April 29 is the date for the diary, with the bout to be held at Wembley Stadium in London.The mind boggles at the thought of Joshua-Klitschko. Consider it a boxing version of Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader, only without the lightsabers (and the unexpected twist of being related) but still with huge ramifications for the futures of both men.However, for that meeting of the old and new in the division to take place, the Englishman needs to clear a6'4" hurdle standing in his way at the weekend.Joshua seems unconcerned by any problems Molina could pose in the ring. He said atThursday's press conference:It's not so much about who I'm fighting it's about myself. I'm not worried about how Eric's camp has gone, because of course he has to train. He has to to train.Every fighter has to train, so I'm not really worried about what they are doing. I'm just glad he's healthy. God willing I go out there to do my job, Eric has trained to the best capability, and I've managed to crush him.Is Joshua being disrespectful towards his opponent' Not reallyhe's just supremely confident in his own abilities to get the job done, no matter who is standing in the way.That's what happens when you make a habit of knocking people out.Whyte and Dominic Breazeale remain the only two men to carry him beyond Round 3, and that says more about their abilities to absorb punishment than it does about Joshua's performances on each occasion.This will be his first outing since officially teaming up with Robert McCracken, the trainer who guided Joshua to a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.McCracken is not a man to get too carried away, as Sky Sports' Ed Robinson pointed out on Twitter:Yet it is hard not to get excited about what we've seen from Joshua to date.At 27, the scary thought for the rest of the division is the superstar of British boxing hasn't even reached his prime yet. The long-term future looks brightbut only if he takes care of business in the short term first.A Steep Learning CurveOn paper, it is easy to dismiss the chances of Molina causing an upset.The 34-year-old challenger has suffered three knockout losses as a pro, including one on debut back in 2007. Chris Arreola dismantled him inside a round in 2012, too, although it took Wilder a lot longer to get the job done last year.Still, take a look at his record and it is easy to see why Drummer Boy is a 10/1 long shot, per OddsShark.Yet dig a little deeper and there are some encouraging signs for Molina.Against Wilder, there was a brief period in Round 3 when he had his compatriot in a spot of trouble. While it is a small crumb of comfort to take from a defeat, it should be remembered the WBC champion has not lost in 37 outings.Then, last time out, Molina silenced the crowd in Krakow, Poland, by knocking out home favourite Tomasz Adamek in Round 10.Molina has not always taken the sport seriously, and he has combined boxing with a career as a special education teacher at Johnny G. Economedes High School in Edinburg, Texas, per BoxRec.But, as he told Sachin Nakrani of the Guardian,Molina stepped away from his educational work in May to focus fully on fighting for a living:As a teacher Im laid-back but that changes when I get in the ring. My family and friends ask: 'Are you not afraid'' but the fear inside me is to take a year out of work and put my life on hold for a fight like this. Fighting is fun and, when I get knocked down, I come back even stronger. Thats my story and I like my story.The visiting fighter hopes to emulate his mentor, Oliver McCall, by causing a huge upset on British soil.In 1994, The Atomic Bull charged to a sensational second-round knockout of Lennox Lewis, who was the unbeaten WBC champion heading into what was seen as a routine defence at Wembley Arena in London."Oliver has meant so much to my career and showed that in the heavyweight division, anything is possible," Molina said, perBen Dirs of BBC Sport."The knockout is the only way I'm going to win and I've got nothing to lose. Anthony Joshua and all of Britain will be surprised."Molina now has a crack at another undefeated British fighter with a huge reputation and a title in his possession.Can he follow in McCall's footsteps and create a shock' The odds are stacked against lightning striking twice.PredictionJoshua and Molina share a common opponent. While the latter stopped Raphael Zumbano Love in Round 8 in January 2015, the former got the job done in less than four-and-a-half minutes four months later.There is also a comparison to be made on fight night, too.The defending champ knows he can lay down a marker by doing a number on Molina faster than Wilder managed, particularly as Showtime will broadcast the bout live in the United States.While he is away from his usual patch in London, Joshua will have no problems going to work in a city where he recorded a third-round TKO triumph over Konstantin Airich in 2013.This fight will end in similar fashion, with Joshua setting up his 2017 showdown with Klitschko by putting Molina away inside five rounds.Bleacher Report will be running a live blog on the Manchester card. Join us for updates from 7:30 p.m. GMT (2:30 p.m. ET).
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