Lester Martinez Wins Decision Over Aleem, Takes Interim Belt

Lester Martinez added a title to his record on Saturday night, outpointing Immanuwel Aleem over 12 rounds to win the vacant WBC interim super middleweight belt in San Bernardino, California.

Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs) was awarded a unanimous decision on scores of 120-108, 118-110, and 119-109 after a fight that stayed at his pace for most of the night. The bout aired on ProBox TV and went the full distance without a knockdown.

The 29-year-old from Guatemala pressed forward early and kept Aleem working. He threw more, stayed in range, and picked up rounds through steady output. Aleem (22-4-3, 14 KOs) had moments where he slowed things down and found openings, but those stretches were brief and did not change the direction of the fight.

There were no major swings on the scorecards. Martinez built his lead round by round, and by the later stages, Aleem needed something significant to shift momentum. It did not come. The final bell closed out a fight that had been largely one-way in terms of scoring.

The result follows Martinez’s 2025 draw with Christian Mbilli and gives him a belt at 168 pounds, even if at the interim level. It also marks a milestone for Guatemala, with Martinez becoming the first fighter from the country to win a world title.

Aleem, a long-time contender, was brought in as a test of experience and durability. He stayed competitive in spots but could not match Martinez’s output across the full 12 rounds. Martinez is expected to remain active in 2026.

The win for Lester, 30, puts him in position to fight the winner of the September bout between WBC super middleweight champion Mbilli and Canelo Alvarez. It’s not a sure thing that Martinez will get the winner of that fight, but he and his promoters can argue that he deserves a shot.

Aleem held tough against the bigger punching Martinez, but he lacked the offense to pressure him enough to make it competitive. It was a situation where Aleem wasn’t throwing enough for him to have a better chance of winning against Lester tonight.