Lester Martinez is at the point where pressure and combinations have to stand up against a man who won’t give him the rounds he’s used to.
Martinez (19-0-1, 16 KOs) does his best work when he jumps in, sets his feet and lets combinations go. He works the body, brings the right hand behind it, and keeps punching once he has a man going backwards.
“You’re not Crawford, and I’m Lester Martinez, and that title is going home, back to Guatemala.”
Aleem (22-3-3, 14 KOs) is built for this kind of fight. Tight wait. Short counters. He doesn’t give ground unless he has to, and when he does, he takes half a step and comes back with something sharp.
“Champions are made in people’s backyards. You have to go get the title.”
He understands how to handle pressure. Keep the main hand active, pick the right hand when Martinez walks in, and avoid getting pinned along the ropes where the combos start to build.
“Just follow the game plan, execute and get the world title. Perform. Martinez is my main focus. Whatever he brings to the table, I have to be better on Saturday night. Whatever I have to do, do it. Do what we’ve been training for.”
The early rounds will show that. Martinez will try to get behind his shots and let his hands go. Aleem will look to catch him as he comes forward, turn him around and prevent him from getting stuck.
If Martinez gets into position, he can work. He puts his feet and lets the combos rip, mixing in body shots to take the legs. This is where his offense starts to flow.
If Aleem holds his ground and keeps his feet under him, he can slow everything down. He doesn’t need volume. He needs clean work, sharp counters and control over the exchanges.
Aleem has been through tougher rounds. He knows how to stay calm when the pace stretches. Martinez has yet to show that he can keep up his gas tank and work rate over the full distance when the other man isn’t giving him openings.
Martinez has the heavier hands once he gets to his feet. Aleem has the timing and ring IQ to make him miss and pay.
If Martinez enters cleanly and keeps his combinations tight, he can take late rounds. If Aleem keeps turning him over and landing the sharper shots, Martinez will rush the fight instead of building it.
The WBC interim belt puts the winner in mandatory position, but the title shot has yet to be enforced. It functions as a final eliminator in practice, with the WBC using the interim belt to place its next mandatory at 168 pounds.
