Image source, Reuters

Eric Molina survived a round. For me that's worthy of a knighthood. Again he's backed up early on, the ropes will be his home tonight as Anthony Joshua forces the running. A good straight jab from AJ lands as we end minute one of round two...

Richie Woodhall
Former world champion on BBC Radio 5 live

That was a fairly easy round for Anthony Joshua - he didn't land anything of any significance and yet he won it at a canter. 

Anthony Joshua throws an overhand right. It finds gloves but the power of it still moves Eric Molina. Joshua has a back like an angry cat, you could funnel a river between his shoulder blades.

Late in the round he goes with a left jab, and again, then some angry work takes him into the body. Very much three minutes of range finding.

Anthony Joshua, high guard, nothing for granted. Eric Molina goes to the ropes as he sizes this task up. Joshua in white shorts, Molina in black. All front foot work from the champion, taking his time... controlled.

The WBC heavyweight champ with a bold shout...

Image source, .

Here we go....

They said this was a nothing fight. Will AJ make it look that way?

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There is another element worth inspecting tonight (should the fight go long enough) as Rob McCracken is back in Anthony Joshua's corner tonight. 

McCracken guided Joshua during his early years with Team GB and indeed, the coach will combine training Joshua and his role as a Performance Director with Britain's Olympic hopefuls.

The man who helped Joshua in his early bouts as a pro - Tony Sims - is also in the corner as Joshua now has a team backing him up.

As Eric Molina is introduced he drops to his knees in prayer. This to me has the look of a Hollywood film where one man is completely and utterly written off. A no hoper. So, can real life boxing ever be like the movies?

Anthony Joshua stands in a black robe. He's a brand now, plastered in sponsorship, there's an empire on his shoulders. He looks chilled as Michael Buffer introduces referees.

Buffer ramps it up a notch:  "Fight fans, are you ready? For the thousands in attendance and millions around the world who wish they could be here, ladies and gentlemen, from Manchester England.... LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE...."

I feel for Eric Molina. 

Giving away weight, reach, youthfulness. I have a feeling Anthony Joshua could fight with one arm behind his back here and get it done. But what do I know? Not a lot I can tell you.

This is boxing after all, it only takes one good shot or one lapse in focus.

Drummer Boy Molina must surely be hearing the drums of fear ringing in his ears right now.

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Anthony Joshua appears on the walkway with a giant AJ in flames behind him. The 'A' does not fully ignite properly, he'll hope that's not a sign of what's to come.

How long will it go? Tweet us on #bbcboxing.

Anthony Joshua is with us and I'll abandon proper sentence construction to speak like the kids.

WHAT. A. TUNE.

It's The Heavy - 'How you like me now'.

See, I been a bad bad bad bad manAnd I'm in deep, yeahI found a brand new love for this manAnd can't wait till you seeI can't wait

So how you like me now?How you like me now?  

Eric Molina walks in to what sounds like a track which would work in some sort of mafia film. It features instruments the youth of today don't even know exists. It's operatic in parts and with his hood up, he has the frame of a rotund tenor and a look in his eyes of a man who has just seen a shark fin.

Image source, Getty Images

Anthony Joshua is a stylish man. I picked this notion up while spending snippets of time with him at the Rio Olympics.

Each day he would emerge from the lift in our hotel looking like a well manicured catwalk model. Crisp shirts, well pressed trousers and some kind of smart loafer on his feet, he walked the part.

One thing that struck me was how people wanted to align themselves with him. We've seen Jose Mourinho having pictures with the champ, but in Rio there were well-known athletes and TV personalities hanging on Joshua's every word. Each wanted to call him "AJ" as if they'd spent every minute since childhood with him.

He has star quality, no doubt about it. Yet, we wait, still, to see him tackle someone in the ring who may define just how great he can be. Eric Molina, your time is now.

"Manchester, let's get this party started," yells Michael Buffer on the microphone. The masses love it. They roar, they cheer and of course, they get their smart phones out to take a selfie for Instagram.

Image source, Getty Images

Not all boxers are casino-dwelling, convertible driving, champagne drinking showmen.

Eric Molina lost his first fight as a pro. He then won 18 in a row before being humiliated in a round by Chris Arreola. That loss made him switch things up and earn a degree which would allow him to teach disabled children.

He is no doubt therefore a man with rounded perspective. He's suffered pain, rebuilt and reshaped who and what he is. Underneath that complex tangle though is a steel going into his meeting with Anthony Joshua.

“If I can breathe, if I can stand, I’m going to fight to knock him out,” says Molina.

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Anthony Joshua is just a picture of flawlessness I think you'll agree. Good smile, good abdominals, good talker, good record. Short of Dillian Whyte landing a clean flurry on him during their rumble, he's not really felt much pain in the ring.

Eric Molina arrives off the back of a good win over Tomasz Adamek, external but man does he have a task on his hands.

A look at the form shows both men have fought Brazilian Raphael Zumbano Love in the last two years. Molina needed nearly nine rounds to put him away, AJ took around four minutes in total.

And off the back of Richie Woodhall we will move to the main event as the tunes blast around Manchester's M.E.N Arena. 'Sweet Caroline' pleases the masses like news of a free bar at a wedding.

Richie Woodhall
Former world champion on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

If the main event didn't happen tonight I don't think anyone would be disappointed because what we have just witnessed was as good as it's going to get.  

Tony Bellew
WBC cruiserweight champion on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

That has taken me back to the Ali days, the Frazier days. I've not seen a heavyweight fight like that for 20 years.