Lester Martinez 'more than ready' for Canelo Alvarez showdown

Lester Martinez recognizes the threat that next opponent Luka Plantic will bring to the Galen Center in Los Angeles on August 29. What the 20-0-1 (16 KOs) super middleweight also sees is where victory will take him.

The 30-year-old Guatemalan idol will defend his WBC interim title and, should he win and that belt does its job correctly, earn a shot at the Christian Mbilli-Saul “Canelo” Alvarez winner. Mbilli, who was held to a 10-round draw by Martinez last September, is scheduled to take on the great Mexican in the first defense of his WBC 168lbs title in October.

“Of course, I'm going to be looking at this fight coming up with Canelo and Mbilli,” Martinez said Monday. “Right now, my immediate focus is on Luka and taking care of business on August 29, defending my [interim] title. Then we can look forward to that tremendous fight [Mbilli-Alvarez] and hope that, yes, we fight the winner. 

“I'm gonna train very hard. I'm gonna do everything I can to make things work, so I can defend my title, and then move on to fight either the rematch [against Mbilli] or the fight against Canelo. I hope that after my fight, my defense, that's the fight that comes next. And we will be more than ready for that fight too.”

Martinez claimed the interim strap in March when he outpointed Immanuwel Aleem over 12 rounds. That show, like the upcoming August 29 event that also features the light heavyweight clash between Najee Lopez and Juan Carrillo, was staged by Garry Jonas’ ProBox TV.

“There was a lot of pressure last time out,” Martinez reflected. “There was a lot of pressure winning the belt and performing. There were other things, but we learned from them… there's always room for improvement. Aleem showed good resistance, [he was] a very good, strong opponent. But this time around, we're gonna do things much better, trust me.

“We’re fighting a very dangerous opponent,” he said of the 13-0 (10 KOs) Plantic. “There’s a reason he’s here. He’s in the top 10. He undefeated and he’s earned that. But we’re going to make the adjustments. Our camp is going to be longer this time.

“This will be my third time as a main event on ProBox TV. I'm very grateful for the opportunities the platform has given me. And this is gonna be a great fight.”

Plantic also has Canelo in his sights. The Croatian, a 2020 Olympian, was a standout amateur who, in 2013, trounced Mbilli in a round.

For now, he has respect for Martinez but reiterated his rival’s desire to get this one out of the way and turn his attention to a certain red-headed Mexican.

“I know [Martinez is] a good fighter, and we will prepare very good for him. We are looking at his every move, his every punch. I study him.

“I’ll see you in the ring and the belt is coming to Croatia. I’m here for the WBC interim title and to face Canelo next.

“Yes, I feel I will steal the show. You will see a war. I will show all of you on August 29. We are going to change Guatemala night to Croatia night.

“I see a great fight. I see great fighters, and I know me. I know everything will be mine. I know I’m going up. This is a 50/50 fight. Thank you for supporting me in Croatia. We are going for the belt, and the belt is coming home.”