Wins wide unanimous decision with scores of 120-108, 119-109, 118-110
Lester Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs) outpointed Immanuwel Aleem (22-4-3, 14 KOs) over twelve rounds to win the WBC Interim Super Middleweight title in San Bernardino.The judges scored it 120-108, 119-109, and 118-110.
Martinez set the pace from the opening round. He kept the lead hand active, stepped in behind straight shots, and found the uppercut when Aleem dipped forward. The work came in tight combinations, with Martinez setting his feet before letting his hands go, keeping his balance and punch selection consistent.
Aleem had moments late, especially in the eleventh, when he pushed forward and tried to close the distance. He had his best success when he worked his way inside and let his hands go, but Martinez answered with straight punches and short hooks, keeping the exchanges on his terms and maintaining his workrate.
The difference was in the cleaner punching and steady output. Martinez stayed composed, picked his shots, and kept his offense flowing through all twelve rounds while limiting clean return fire.
“I feel good,” said Martinez after the decision. “I want to thank my parents and family. I want to thank my team: Bomac, Saul, all my team and my promoter Garry Jonas. I want to thank all of you, Guatemala. We now have a world champion! I love Guatemala and all of my fans. I love y’all. Viva Guatemala!”
“All respect to Aleem,” Martinez added. “He’s a warrior and we knew how good he was and his experience, but we were ready for that and more. We went in cautious because we knew what we had in front of us. But to hear the Guatemalan fans cheering gave us the will to go on.”
Aleem acknowledged the result and pointed to missed opportunities in key exchanges.
“He had more consistency in the little things and I didn’t capitalize, so shout out to Lester Martinez,” Aleem said. “It wasn’t the performance I was looking for, but I’m going back to the drawing board to continue my hunt for a world title.”
Undercard
Joshua Kevin Anton (13-0, 12 KOs) claimed the WBC Continental Americas super welterweight title after Kudratillo Abdukakhorov (22-6, 14 KOs) retired following the opening round, indicating he could not continue.
Albert Gonzalez (17-0, 10 KOs) knocked out Brandon Chambers (12-5-1, 5 KOs) at 1:47 of the first round. Gonzalez stepped in behind his shots and landed a right hand behind the ear that left Chambers down.
Sam Contreras (5-0, 2 KOs) stopped Cesar Cantu (3-5-2, 1 KO) at 1:09 of the second round. Contreras used his reach, mixed head and body shots, and broke Cantu down with steady combinations.
Luis Coria (5-0, 5 KOs) forced Lito Naruto Dante (21-16-4, 12 KOs) to retire after two rounds, with sustained body shots and combinations taking their effect.
Kevin Ventura (12-1, 8 KOs) outpointed Aaron Watson (2-2-2, 1 KO) over six rounds, growing into the fight after Watson had early success with right hands.
Jocelyn Camarillo (6-0, 1 KO) opened the card with a first-round knockout of Isis Sio (1-3), trapping her on the ropes and finishing with a sustained series of punches.