In a very odd set of rulings, Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko have been cleared to fight for the vacant WBA 'super' heavyweight title.

WBA president Gilberto Mendoza confirmed to BBC Sport the fight - targeted for March or April - would be for the belt vacated by Tyson Fury in October.

A deal for a December fight between Joshua and former champion Klitschko fell through, with promoter Eddie Hearn blaming confusion over whether the WBA title would be on the line. Klitschko refused to finalize the deal unless the WBA world title was at stake. Joshua, 27, will fight Eric Molina on 10 December in Manchester.

As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, the WBA has also asked ordered Lucas Browne to fight Shannon Briggs for the WBA "regular" heavyweight title by December 31, and the winner would have to make a mandatory defense against Fres Oquendo within 120 days of the fighter's conclusion.

The IBF champion must beat Molina if he is to face 40-year-old Ukrainian Klitschko, who said in October he wants to fight Joshua.

The planned December bout fell through because the fighters "ran out of time" to agree a deal, said Klitschko's manager Bernd Boente.

Fury vacated the WBA, IBO and WBO titles he won by beating Klitschko in November 2015 to deal with his "medical treatment and recovery". The vacant IBO world title will also be at stake in the fight between Klitschko and Joshua.

The WBO title will be contested next month between Andy Ruiz and Joseph Parker.

Fury was stripped of the IBF title in December 2015 for choosing to face Klitschko in a rematch over the IBF's mandatory challenger. Former Olympic super-heavyweight champion Joshua won the IBF belt by beating Charles Martin in April.

Attempts to stage a rematch between Fury and Klitschko twice collapsed because Fury suffered an ankle injury and was then declared "medically unfit".