The 36-year-old failed a drugs test after fighting Britain's Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) World Heavyweight Championship on December 10 in 2016.

Joshua, the London 2012 super heavyweight champion who now holds four major heavyweight belts, won the bout at the Manchester Arena after stopping Molina in round three.

Dexamethasone is a type of steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Molina's ban was issued by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and while he accepted full responsibility for the violation, he did attempt to challenge the two year penalty.

This was unsuccessful and his ban has been back-dated to begin on October 28, 2017, when he was first provisionally suspended.

UKAD chief executive Nicole Sapstead said: "Every athlete is solely responsible for what is in their system and must adhere to the strict liability principle.

"All athletes at any level should familiarise themselves with the WADA prohibited list and ensure they do not put themselves in a position where they may breach anti-doping regulations." 

Molina has twice challenged for a world heavyweight title after also losing to fellow American Deontay Wilder for the World Boxing Council belt in 2015.

He had been scheduled to fight Mariusz Wach in Poland on Friday (May 25).