Lester Martinez defeats Aleem, Wins WBC Interim Title

The points told the story of the fight that Martinez has been controlling for a long time. He pushed the pace early, kept Aleem on the back foot and piled on the rounds thanks to pressure, consistent punching and a willingness to work every minute. Aleem had a few spells where he made things difficult and found small pockets of success, but he couldn’t hold off Martinez long enough to turn the fight into a close affair.

Martinez, who entered the night 19-0-1 with 16 knockouts, fought like a young guy in the opening rounds. He settled on Aleem, let go of his hands, and forced the veteran into a hard-fought 12-round fight. Aleem had the experience of surviving the difficult regions and the difficulty of reaching the final bell, but survival was not enough against a fighter who kept building a lead.

Aleem went 22-3-3 with 14 strikeouts and tried to use his experience to disrupt Martinez’s streak, but the pressure didn’t stop. There were no knocks and no late drama that changed the course of the fight. Martinez just kept putting the rounds together and making Aleem work the pace in his favor.

That was an important part of the result. Martinez didn’t need one big minute to bail him out. He has succeeded by doing difficult, boring things over and over again, and that often goes over better on the world stage than a reel-to-reel explosion. After his draw with Christian Mbilli in 2025, this was the result he needed. It was clear, comprehensive, and left little room for argument.

At 168 pounds, Martinez now steps forward as the WBC’s interim champion and a live name in a division that already has a few big names. Saturday’s win may not go down as well as his sharp performance, but it was still a tough job against a seasoned player brought in to test him. Martinez passed that test cleanly, and looks like a hero heading into a very important night.