The WBC’s decision Thursday to sanction an interim super middleweight title fight between Lester Martinez and Immanuwel Aleem puts Martinez one win away from entering the title ring behind Christian Mbilli and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
The interim bout, scheduled for March 21 in San Bernardino, creates a clear pecking order within the WBC structure. Mbilli was elevated to full champion after Terence Crawford relinquished the belt, and his first defense is expected to come against Alvarez later this year. The Martinez-Aleem winner will move into position behind that fight as the championship situation progresses.
Interim sanction changes Martinez’s position
Martinez has been waiting for movement since his majority draw against Mbilli in September. He put on a competitive performance against the undefeated contender, but failed to secure a rematch. Mbilli instead advanced to full champion status, leaving Martinez out of immediate title contention.
Thursday’s sanction restores that forward motion. Martinez now controls his own entry point to the next phase of the division.
Aleem enters #14 by the WBC, returning to a level he hasn’t occupied in several years. His most notable appearance against a contender came in May 2019, when he fought Matt Korobov to a 10-round majority draw after an initial scoring error briefly gave Korobov the decision. The corrected result did not establish Aleem as a forward-moving challenger.
His results since then have reflected intermittent progress. Aleem went 4-2-1 after the Korobov fight, with losses to Ronald Ellis and Amilcar Vidal Jr. which interrupted his progress. His wins during that period came against non-Championship level opposition, and his name did not re-enter serious title discussions.
The interim sanction changes his placement within the WBC structure. Martinez now has a direct route to the championship series, while Aleem gets an opportunity to re-enter relevance at the same level.
Interim belt holder moves to next title slot
Mbilli’s anticipated fight against Alvarez determines what comes next. The interim belt holder will occupy the next available challenger position once that match is completed, regardless of who emerges as champion.
Martinez, 30, is now one fight away from that opportunity.
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Last updated on 02/12/2026
