The Night's Quietest Fight Might Be Its Best
Right then — while every eyeball in Britain is split between the O2 and Birmingham tonight, the hardest-hitting fight of the entire Saturday might be happening in Los Angeles. Martinez vs Plantic puts the WBC interim super middleweight title on the line at the USC Galen Center, and between the two of them these men have stopped 26 of their 34 opponents. This is not a fight for the judges.
The card streams live on ProBox TV from 4.30pm Pacific — half past midnight for the British night owls, and worth staying up for.
The Champion And The Thunder
Guatemala's History Maker
Lester Martinez, 20-0-1 with 16 knockouts, became Guatemala's first professional world champion when he took the interim belt off Immanuwel Aleem in March, and he has spent the summer grafting at altitude in Colorado Springs. He is a pressure fighter with a proper engine, and at home in LA in front of a Central American crowd he will not be hard to find.
The Unbeaten Olympian
Luka Plantic — they call him Thunder, and it is earned — arrives 13-0 with 10 knockouts and a 2020 Olympic pedigree for Croatia. He is the bigger man, the rangier man, and the sort of puncher who only needs one honest look at your chin. Anyone writing him off as an away-corner opponent has not watched him fight.
Luke's Final Word
Let's not beat around the bush — Martinez vs Plantic is a shootout, and in shootouts I side with the man who has been to the harder places. Plantic's power is real, but Martinez has the tighter engine, the better body attack and the crowd. I see Plantic having moments early, then Martinez breaking him down the stretch — Martinez by stoppage in the championship rounds, with the full WBC belt at 168 the prize behind the prize. My original preview of this card is here, and tonight's full schedule is on our fight cards page.