Unbeaten Guatemalan to challenge for WBC interim title.
If the name “Lester Martínez” didn’t ring a bell for you prior to the 13th of September, it certainly did after it.
The Guatemalan slugger had an undefeated record, but outside of good victories over former IBO champion Carlos Gongora and undefeated contender Joeshon James, he didn’t possess anything truly substantial on his résumé.
Christian Mbilli had a much more established reputation and a slightly longer list of recognisable names. He was known as a stocky puncher whose name signified that you were in for a bad time.
But on the night, Martínez refused to buckle underneath Mbilli or his reputation, and for ten rounds, the two knocked lumps out of each other and ended up drawing.
For many, this fight was the best of 2025, and it provided for the most enthralling spectacle on the same card as Terence Crawford’s two-weight jump to challenge Canelo Álvarez for his undisputed championship.
Since Crawford’s retirement, he has vacated every belt he won that night, and Mbilli was recently rewarded with the WBC title from the splintered quartet of trinkets. It is expected that he will eventually defend this title in what will surely he a high-octane rematch with Martínez.
But before then, Martínez must pass his next assignment.
He will be taking on Immanuwel Aleem (22-3-3, 14 KOs) for the WBC interim super-middleweight title, the same belt he fought Mbilli for.
The fight will be streamed on ProBox TV, which Martínez is a regular on.
Should Martínez (19-0-1, 16 KOs) win like he is expected to do, he will be the mandatory for the WBC title, and he will get the opportunity to become the first professional boxing world champion from Guatemala.
Lester gets another chance to become Guatemala’s first-ever world champion! 🏆🔥
Lester Martinez is back! After an absolute war with Christian Mbilli that earned WBC Fight of the Year honors, he returns to the ring for another massive showdown.
He takes on Immanuwel Aleem for… pic.twitter.com/qYJAOqxIzD
— ProBox TV (@ProBox_TV) February 13, 2026
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