Lester Martinez defends undefeated record and interim title on Saturday against Luka Plantic's power

LOS ANGELES — Two undefeated records are on the line Saturday night at the Galen Center.

Lester Martinez (20-0-1, 16 KOs) defends his WBC interim super middleweight title for the first time against Croatia's Luka "The Thunder" Plantic (13-0, 10 KOs), live on ProBox TV. The Guatemalan star climbed into the interim seat in March with a unanimous decision over Immanuwel Aleem, a fight closer than his record suggests it should have been. Plantic, ranked No. 3 by the WBC, arrives unbeaten and unbothered, carrying four defenses of his WBC International title and a finish over previously undefeated Shadiri Musa Bwogi as his calling card.

Both fighters made weight Friday, Martinez at 167.2 pounds and Plantic at 167, and the two stood face to face at the ceremonial weigh-in with nothing left to settle but the fight itself. It's official: this one goes Saturday at the Galen Center.

ProBox TV

Martinez and Plantic face off after both fighters made weight Friday.

This is Martinez's biggest stage yet. The move up from the 4,000-seat NOS Events Center in San Bernardino to the 12,000-capacity Galen Center wasn't a scheduling accident. It's what happens when a promoter bets on a fighter's pull, and Martinez has been pulling. "There's no doubt the title is staying in Guatemala," he said at the June kickoff press conference. "I'm gonna continue being the world champion. That I can assure you."

The bigger story sits one fight ahead. Christian Mbilli holds the full WBC title and squares off with Canelo Alvarez in October, and Martinez has made no secret of where his eyes are. "Of course, I'm going to be looking at this fight coming up with Canelo and Mbilli," he said. "Right now, my immediate focus is on Luka and taking care of business on August 29, defending my title. Then we can look forward to that tremendous fight and hope that we fight the winner." 

Beat Plantic, and Martinez plants himself first in line for whoever comes out of that superfight. That's the kind of opportunity that turns a rising name into a made one.

Plantic isn't interested in being a stepping stone. The 29-year-old Olympian-turned-pro has built his career on the other side of the Atlantic, and this is the first time the level of opposition matches his ambition. He's not hiding from the moment. "I will take the belt back to Croatia," he said in a recent interview. "One punch can change anything in boxing. I have Croatian power in me. He is good, but I will win." At the June presser, he framed it plainly: "This is a 50/50 fight… we are going to change Guatemala night to Croatia night."

Stylistically, this is pressure against power. Martinez works behind volume and a deep, well-schooled amateur pedigree, but Aleem proved he can be extended and tested over twelve rounds. Plantic hits with more thump on paper and has stopped nine of his last ten opponents, but he's never shared a ring with anyone who moves and works like Martinez does. Whoever solves the other's problem first likely walks away with the belt.

There's a name attached to Martinez's camp that raises the stakes further. His trainer, Brian "BoMac" McIntyre, is the same man who guided Terence Crawford to pound-for-pound status, and Crawford himself has been in with Martinez preparing for this fight. "It feels so good that even though Crawford's retired, he comes to help me and sparred me," Martinez said. "That's such a big, positive name and such a great person, a champion. It feels great to have him help me." That's the caliber of company Martinez is keeping as he angles for a Canelo-tier fight of his own.

Saturday isn't just a title defense. It's Martinez trying to keep his name on the shortest possible list for boxing's biggest fight, and Plantic trying to prove Los Angeles is exactly where his breakout happens.