Martinez stakes his claim
Lester Martinez cruised to a wide decision over Immanuwel Aleem (cards 118–110, 119–109) and immediately called out Canelo for a title shot after the win in front of a raucous Guatemalan crowd (boxing247.com) (boxingnews24.com). His dominant showing positions Martinez as a serious contender in the super‑middleweight mix if Canelo beats Christian Mbilli in September (boxingnews24.com) (boxing247.com).
The fight was staged March 21, 2026 at the National Orange Show Event Center in San Bernardino, California. (boxingscene.com) Martinez left with the vacant WBC interim super‑middleweight belt, becoming the first fighter from Guatemala to claim a world title at the interim level. (boxingonly.net) The 30‑year‑old Guatemalan entered the night unbeaten and under the guidance of trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre. (boxingscene.com) Immanuwel Aleem arrived with a 22‑3‑3 record (14 KOs), and the official weigh‑in had Martinez at 167.4 pounds and Aleem at 167.6 pounds. (boxingonly.net) Promoters expect Martinez to fight again in late August as part of the Guatemalan “El Chapín” festival in Los Angeles, and the WBC interim winner typically moves into mandatory contention at 168 pounds. (boxingscene.com)
