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Add FightsATW on GoogleThe super-middleweight division is slowly transitioning into the next phase: life after Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Part of that evolution is a fighter named Lester Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs), the interim WBC champion. On Saturday in Los Angeles, California, Martinez faces the undefeated Luka Plantic (13-0, 10 KOs) in the main event of a ProBoxTV show that debuts its new paid subscription.
The 30-year-old Martinez from Peten Melchor de Mencos, Guatemala, is a fighter making noise in the division, especially after going blow-for-blow with WBC champion Christian Mbilli over 12 rounds in September, resulting in a split draw. That night, Martinez instantly went on everyone’s radar, but when you get to know him, you’ll understand that he doesn’t get caught up in the hype and remains humble.
“Little by little, people will get to know me,” Martinez told FightsATW. “Outside the ring, I’m a quiet person. What you see is what you get with me. However, inside the ring, I’m a completely different person.
“When I’m not training, I like to rest. I take recovery very seriously. When I’m at home with my parents, I like to eat. I love my mother’s cooking and being at the beach, enjoying it all.”
Although Martinez is cool about it all, he is well aware that the Mbilli fight put him in a position to be involved in even bigger fights.
“I’m thankful for that fight because today the name Lester Martinez is not recognized worldwide, but it is more widely known than before. Important people in boxing know who I am. Thank God for putting me in that position. Also, thank you to Christian Mbilli for how the fight turned out and to my team for making the fight happen.”
Martinez continued, “Things have changed for the better. While some fighters would have let that kind of recognition [from the Mbilli fight] go to their heads, I’ve stayed calm, knowing bigger opportunities were on the horizon.”
Fans and media alike wanted to see Martinez and Mbilli go at it for another 12 rounds, but as fate would have it, the second fight did not happen. According to Martinez, Mbilli had accepted the fight, and all that remained to be worked out was the venue and date. After that, things were left up in the air, and the fight never got finalized. We didn’t get round 13 of Martinez-Mbilli, but the Guatemalan is confident they will eventually meet down the road.
Martinez would then meet Immanuwel Aleem in March, scoring a unanimous decision that earned him the interim WBC title. Five months later, Martinez has the first defense of his interim title against Plantic, who is undefeated and has an Olympic amateur pedigree.
Getting Martinez ready for the fight is Brian ‘Bo-Mac’ McIntyre and his team down in Omaha, Nebraska, at B&B Sports Academy. Martinez and Team B&B have been together a little over three years, and although things may not have started out so smoothly, especially with the language barrier, things are going very well these days.
“It’s been a little over three years since I joined this great team. At first, things were complicated. I hoped things would go well and that I would be kept around, but my English wasn’t very good. As time went on, we came to understand each other better.
“They have cared for me throughout my time with them. At no point, even when Terence Crawford was in training camp, did I ever feel like an outsider. I always felt like I was part of the team. For the best team in the world to have a fighter from a small country like Guatemala, who wouldn’t love the opportunity?”
Speaking of Crawford, who hilariously video-bombed us during our Zoom interview, he posted on July 23 that he needed to get back into shape if he wanted to compete with Martinez. It doesn’t get any better than that when a future hall of famer gives you that kind of compliment. It speaks to who Martinez is as a person and a fighter, something he doesn’t take lightly.
“To have someone like Crawford talk about you like that is serious,” Martinez told FightsATW. “It’s motivating, but it also comes with pressure because you have the best fighter in the world telling you to do something, which forces me to take things to a different level. It’s pressure, but good pressure.
“You know that Crawford is really competitive. If he doesn’t like something, he’ll come back the next day and do it better. Today, he’s not here to visit. He’s here for a rematch of the sparring session we had. It means a lot that he’s here and that we push each other.
“Regarding our sparring session, what he does wrong, damn it, he does right [laughs]. Believe me! There are so many things you want to do in the ring, but in the end, you realize it isn’t going to look as good as it does when he does it. You try, and you know there is so much more to learn. I want to do better, and I know I can do better.”
On August 29 in L.A., Martinez will not only glove up against Plantic at the USC Galen Center, but there will also be a Guatemalan festival called “Festival Chapin.” Saturday looks festive, and Martinez aims to add to the festivities with a big win on the day his country is celebrated.
“It’s a beautiful festival, and I’ve been invited to it in the past as a special guest. I’m sure people will feel proud of our country and celebrate it at the festival the way it should be. The festival will be celebrated in a big way, with my victory and first title defense.”
Martinez has the skills, looks, and a charming personality to become a star in the sport. If he can get past Plantic on Saturday, Martinez will surely get the winner between Canelo and Mbilli. If that happens, Martinez’s path to stardom could come sooner than anticipated. First things first, he needs to put on a show Saturday night, live on ProBoxTV.
Lester Martinez quotes translated by Abraham Gonzalez.
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