Lester Martinez Becomes Guatemalas First Ever Boxing World Champion

Super middleweight Lester Martinez, became Guatemala's first ever boxing world champion defeateing capable Immanuwel Aleem by unanimous decision to win the interim WBC super middleweight title on Saturday night at the National Orange Show in San Bernadino, California in headlining Pro Box TV card.

Though it’s not the actual world title, it guarantees him a shot.

“He was very experienced,” Marinez said of his foe.

Coming off a brutal affair in his last fight, Martinez (20-0-1, 16 Kos) quickly established his quickness, various combinations and uncanny accuracy against Aleem (22-4-3, 14 Kos) who demonstrated a very solid chin in front of a packed arena filled with Guatemalans.

Guatemala is one of the few Latin countries without a world champion in boxing. Its neighbors like Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador have all had fighters that have won a world title.

The win by Martinez is the closest any Guatemalan has come to earning a shot at a world title. He now awaits the winner between Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Canada’s Christian Mbili. Ironically, Martinez’s stable mate Terence Crawford defeated Alvarez for all the world titles in the super middleweight division.

“I’m ready to fight. Whoever wins that’s who I want to fight,” said Martinez about the elimination bout between Alvarez and Mbilli in the summer.

Against Aleem, who was moving up from middleweight, Martinez erupted with his slick style of firing blows with different angles and from defensive positions that made it difficult for Aleem to figure out.

Though Martinez was connecting solidly with uppercuts and overhand rights, he never could seriously hurt the fighter from Baltimore. And though Aleem connected too, his blows proved ineffective in hurting the Guatemalan fighter.

“I’m a fighter you don’t want to get hit. I could have done a lot more,” Aleem said.

Jabs were always loaded for Martinez who used them effectively throughout the match. Martinez showed off different combinations like a right uppercut, overhand right and left hook combination in the fourth round that stirred the crowd into a roar. Despite the thudding blows, Aleem remained steady and upright.

It took seven rounds for Aleem to figure out the Guatemalan’s combinations and attack angles. And when Aleem attacked with vigor, he quickly discovered Martinez ability to score while moving backward.

Aleem had better moments in the last three rounds, especially in 10th when he jumped into Martinez’s face with lightning combinations and would not let up. Though Martinez was not hurt,  it was somewhat of a surprise. It changed the momentum.

But Martinez had just been through a brutal match with Mbilli last September in Las Vegas that was nominated as the Fight of the Year by boxing publications. If Mbilli could not hurt him, neither was Aleem.

The title match lasted all 12 rounds with all three judges finding Martinez the winner by unanimous decision 120-108, 118-110, 119-109. He is the new interim WBC super middleweight titlist and the first from his country to win it.

“He executed a little better. Hats off to him,” said Aleem after the fight.

Next is the actual world title for Martinez.

“I want to say a thank you to you Guatemala,” said Martinez. “I’m very proud of my accomplishment tonight.”

Other bouts

The tall Joshua Kevin Anton (13-0, 12 Kos) needed one round to stop Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (22-6, 14 Kos) in their super welterweight match. Anton connected several times and at the end of the first round Abdukakhorov complained of an injury to the head and the fight was stopped at the end of the round for a knockout. Anton is Guatemalan by heritage.

Albert ‘Chop Chop” Gonzalez (17-0, 10 Kos) had few problems against Baltimore’s Brandon Chambers (12-5-1, 5 Kos) to win by knockout in less than a round in their featherweight contest. Gonzalez fired combinations against the retreating fighter and caught him with a left hook and right which forced him to grab the Riverside fighter. Gonzalez shrugged off Chambers and the referee mistakenly called it a shove. Chambers could not get up from the canvas so the fight was changed to a knockout for Gonzalez who trains with Robert Garcia.

Samuel Contreras (6-0, 3 Kos) had no trouble at all against Texan Cesar Cantu (3-6-2) and won by knockout in their lightweight battle. Contreras hit Cantu with every punch in his arsenal in the first round which could have been scored 10-8 based on the overwhelming effectiveness of the Los Angeles fighter. In the second round Contreras went to work and unleashed five blows that connected and forced the referee to stop the fight at 1:09 of the second round.

Luis Coria (5-0, 5 Kos) overwhelmed Lito Dante (21-17-4, 12 Kos) in two rounds of pounding to win by technical knockout at the end of the second round of a bantamweight match. Coria connected with a left hook and then found a hole in Lit’s defense with a right cross. That stunned the tough Filipino fighter who somehow survived the round. But Lito’s corner halted the fight at the end of the round to make Coria the winner. Coria is never in a boring fight.

A battle between super welterweights saw Nebraska’s Kevin Ventura walk away with a unanimous decision win over Riverside’s Aaron Watson after six rounds. No knockdowns were scored and neither fighter took charge but all three judges favored Ventura 60-54.

Light flyweight Joceyln Camarillo and Isis Sio erupted in a hurricane of blows but once Camarillo got her bearings she won by brutal knockout in less than a round. Sio was hit with five to six consecutive punches and collapsed from the flurry of blows. She was taken to the hospital at Loma Linda University Hospital.