{"id":479507,"date":"2026-03-17T01:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/479507\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T01:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T01:08:10","slug":"lester-martinez-eyes-canelo-or-mbilli-with-interim-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/479507\/","title":{"rendered":"Lester Martinez Eyes Canelo Or Mbilli With Interim Title"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=boxingnews24.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" style=\"display:flex; align-items:center; justify-content:center;&#010;            width:140px; height:40px; overflow:hidden;\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"660\" height=\"208\" alt=\"Add EBoxing News 24as a preferred source on Google\" class=\"perfmatters-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/google.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>  <\/a><\/p>\n<p>  <a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqLAgKIiZDQklTRmdnTWFoSUtFR0p2ZUdsdVoyNWxkM015TkM1amIyMG9BQVAB?ceid=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" style=\"display:flex; align-items:center; justify-content:center;&#010;            width:140px; height:40px; overflow:hidden;\"><br \/>\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"468\" height=\"128\" alt=\"Follow Boxing News 24 on Google News\" style=\"height:100%; width:auto; display:block;\" class=\"perfmatters-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/follow-google-news.png\"\/><br \/>\n  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p>During a recent interview ahead of the fight, Martinez made it clear that he is already thinking about the opponents who could await him if he keeps winning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCanelo could win, Mbilli could win,\u201d Martinez said La Hora del Boxeo. \u201cFighting either of those two would benefit me a lot. We\u2019ll be ready to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Those names reflect the reality of the super middleweight division. Canelo Alvarez remains the central figure at 168 pounds, and the biggest fights in the weight class often depend on the Mexican star\u2019s next move. Christian Mbilli has also emerged as one of the most dangerous contenders in the division, with pressure and activity that have made him a difficult opponent for anyone in the weight class.<\/p>\n<p>Martinez already shares unfinished business with Mbilli. The two fought to a 12-round draw in September 2025 in a bout that raised Martinez\u2019s profile after many observers felt he had done enough to win. The competitive fight helped introduce the Guatemalan contender to a wider audience and placed him firmly among the top challengers at super middleweight.<\/p>\n<p>Before any of those possibilities can materialize, Martinez must first deal with Aleem, a veteran who has spent years facing prospects and contenders throughout the division. The experienced American has shared the ring with several notable opponents and brings durability and ring knowledge that could test Martinez over the course of the fight.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Martinez views the interim title bout as the opportunity to move one step closer to the fights he ultimately wants. With the division\u2019s biggest prizes tied to a small group of elite names, the unbeaten contender believes continuing to win is the only way to force his way into those conversations.<\/p>\n<p>A victory would not guarantee those fights, but it would keep Martinez moving toward the biggest opportunities in the super middleweight division.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Segal is a boxing journalist at Boxing News 24 with more than a decade of experience covering fight news, previews, and analysis. Known for his straightforward reporting and ringside perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, contenders, and emerging talent worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During a recent interview ahead of the fight, Martinez made it clear that he is already thinking about&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479508,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-479507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479507"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479507\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}