"I want the stoppage:" Lester Martinez, with Canelo in his sights, aiming high

LOS ANGELES – It’s more than a fight. It’s a mission.

As Lester Martinez made weight at 167.2lbs Friday for his ProBoxTV Saturday night WBC interim super-middleweight title defense versus Luka Plantic (167lbs) at USC’s Galen Center, Martinez trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre said his fighter’s pursuit of a knockout is significant and necessary.

“[Martinez] is probably going to stop him, and I want the stoppage to make a statement to those guys fighting October 31,” McIntyre said of new WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli and Mexico’s four-division champion Canelo Alvarez.

“That’s just going to be the message that we’re going to be right there waiting for those guys.”

Former top-ranked contender Mbilli, 29-0-1 (24 KOs), fought Martinez to a draw in September on the undercard of Alvarez’s undisputed title loss to Terence Crawford, who then retired in December and helped prepare Martinez for this Plantic bout by sparring him in training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

While Alvarez 63-3-2 (39KOs) has proven his strong connection to Mexico-based WBC gives him leeway in avoiding interim and mandatory contenders – see the David Benavidez case – McIntyre said the right type of showing by Martinez, 20-0-1 (16 KOs), can bring insurmountable pressure upon the champion who reigns on November 1.

Croatia’s Plantic, 13-0 (10 KOs), is the WBC’s No.4 contender.

Mbilli previously turned away from a rematch with Martinez, with a representative of his telling BoxingScene a second consecutive rugged bout was not in Mbilli’s best interest.

And while there has been talk that Martinez could turn his attention to WBA 168lbs champion Jaime Munguia if Alvarez or Mbilli shy from him, McIntyre said, “This is what I want. Whatever comes down the pipe, we’ll see, but right now, I want to send the message, ‘Y’all can’t run for too much longer.’”

In other bouts: 

10 rounds, light-heavyweight: Najee Lopez 175lbs, Juan Carrillo 174.6lbs

10 rounds, junior-featherweights: Ramon Cardenas 122lbs, Leonardo Carrillo 121lbs

10 rounds, middleweights (contracted weight, 164lbs):  Weljon Mindoro 163.6lbs, Carlos Ocampo 165lbs (Ocampo paid 20% fine to keep fight)

10 rounds, lightweights: Luis Torres 134.8lbs, Jordan White 135lbs

6 rounds, welterweights: Emilio Garcia 145.8lbs, Luis Guerrero Garcia 146lbs

6 rounds, junior-middleweights (contracted weight: 156lbs): Malachi Ross 155.8lbs, Semajay Thomas 153.8lbs

6 rounds, lightweights: Hugo Amador Mendez 134.4lbs, Jonathan Martin Morales Mendez 134.4lbs

4 rounds, featherweights (contracted weight: 128lbs): Ramon Ordonez 126.6lbs, Rafael Alejandro Ibarra Perez 127.8lbs

4 rounds, featherweights (contracted weight:128lbs): Jose Mejia Garibo 126.6lbs, Aram Alberto Menindez Pedraza 129.8lbs (Pedraza agrees to 20% fine, fight is on).