McIntyre’s frustration runs into a basic rule of the sport. Christian Mbilli held the interim title in that fight, and a draw does not force a replay. The champion moves on, and the challenger has to earn another shot. Lester had his chance and didn’t get the win.
That fight was supposed to be 12 rounds, same title, but they pushed it to 10 this past week,” he said.
For his part, the issue is not just the draw, but what came after. McIntyre said they immediately accepted a rematch when the option came up, only that it could go the other way.
“We immediately jumped on it, but guess who said no?” BoMac said about Mbilli.
The battle itself was not one-sided. Lester had success controlling stretches by forcing Mbilli backwards by pushing and breaking turnovers, often using physical force to reset position. However, that approach required constant effort and seemed to take something out of him late. The repeated punching of Martinez also attracted attention, with some observers believing that a caution or point deduction could have changed the result.
Those details leave room for more than one reading of what a longer fight might have produced. McIntyre believes the extra rounds from 10 to 12 would have changed the outcome of the Lester-Mbilli fight. The pace and physical demands of the fight suggest that it was not so clear cut.
Martinez’s 12-round win over Immanuwel Aleem last Saturday night offered a different look. BoMac praised Lester’s ability to stay off the ropes and keep the fight in the middle, a visible adjustment on the night. However, that version of the 30-year-old Guatemalan Martinez did not deal with the same sustained pressure that forced him back in his previous fight against Mbilli last September.
The frustration in BoMac’s comments seems to be tied to what the draw cost them. A win in that fight could have put Lester in position to fight Canelo in September in what would have been a lucrative one. Instead, that position shifted to Mbilli.
