Lester Martinez and Immanuwel Aleem under the 168 limit ahead of championship clash
Mar 20, 2026 • 2:45 PM ET
![Lester Martinez [far left] and Immanuwel Aleem hit the scales in San Bernardino](/img/v1/1920?src=https%3A%2F%2Fphoto.boxingscene.com%2Fuploads%2FLesterMartinezweighin.webp)
SAN BERNARDINO, California – Lester Martinez and Immanuwel Aleem arrived first at the weigh-in line Friday, and each came in slightly under the 168lbs limit, setting the stage for their Saturday night WBC interim title fight.
With the unbeaten Martinez, 19-0-1 (13 KOs), weighing 167.4lbs and Aleem, 22-3-3 (14 KOs), coming in at 167.6, the main attraction at the National Orange Show Event Center is on.
Aleem told BoxingScene afterward he feels great following the weight cut, and when asked what he saw from the face-off with Guatemala’s Martinez, he responded, “I’m just glad he showed.”
Martinez trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre countered that he “thought [Aleem] looked a little out of shape.”
While Martinez didn’t provide an interview, McIntyre said his fighter is “superb” as the fight nears.
‘Look at him,” McIntyre said.
Martinez, ranked No. 2 by the WBC, of course had every reason to appear, given that victory can make him the first world champion from Guatemala while leaving him in prime position to face the winner of the mid-September WBC 168lbs full title fight pitting four-division champion Canelo Alvarez versus current champion Christian Mbilli.
Martinez fought Mbilli to a 10-round draw in September.
Saturday’s card was shaken, however, by the loss of co-main event fighter Anthony Cuba, 12-1-2 (5 KOs), to dehydration during the weight-cutting process, scrapping his scheduled 140lbs bout versus Mexico’s Jair Valtierra, 18-4 (9 KOs).
In other fights:
10 rounds junior-middleweight: Kevin Anton 153lbs vs. Kudratillo Abdukakhorov 153.2lbs
10 rounds featherweight: Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez 127.2lbs vs. Brandon Chambers 126.8lbs
6 rounds super-lightweight: Charles Harris Jnr 143.2lbs vs. Cesar Villarraga 142.8lbs
6 rounds lightweight: Samuel Contreras 134lbs vs. Cesar Cantu 132.8lbs
4 rounds super-flyweight: Luis Coria 114.8lbs vs. Lito Dante 114
6 rounds super-welterweight: Kevin Ceja Ventura 154.8lbs vs. Aaron Watson 153lbs
4 rounds super-flyweight: Jocelyn Camarillo 107.4lbs vs. Isis Sio 107.4lbs
- Immanuwel Aleem
- Lester Martinez
- ProBox TV
- Lester Martinez vs. Immanuwel Aleem
- Lester Martinez Vs. Immanuwel Aleem
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
