WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion Lester Martinez is closing out camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., in preparation for his first title defense against 2020 Croatian Olympian Luka Plantic next Saturday, August 29 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Martinez enters his second fight of 2026 with a 20-0-1 record with 16 wins coming by knockout and Plantic brings a perfect 13-0 record with 10 knockouts on his resume.
Martinez, a proud Guatemalan, is looking forward to fighting for the first time in Los Angeles, home to the largest Guatemalan population in the United States. The undefeated pugilist represents his fellow Guatemalans every time he steps into the ring, and his upcoming bout will be no different. With the 2028 Olympic Games in LA now under two years away, Martinez’s showdown with Olympian Plantic will provide a fun international event at the Galen Center, which is set to host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at LA 2028.
Martinez became the first Guatemalan boxer to win a piece of a major sanctioning body world title in his last outing in March and will make his first defense of the title on August 29. He and his team know they have a tough challenge ahead of them in undefeated mandatory challenger Plantic and they approached his training camp for this bout accordingly.
Martinez noted that this training camp was different and more intense than his previous camps as his preparation was the main focus for coaches Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, Esau Dieguez and lifelong trainer Hector Arreola. Team Martinez has spent the last four weeks in the high altitude of Colorado Springs after previous stops in Las Vegas and southern California during his preparatory training camp for Plantic.
The added attention and focus has benefited Martinez as he prepares for the challenge that awaits him on August 29. “This camp has been different from past camps, but it has only made me work harder. The coaches and I have truly committed to the training here and they have pushed me really hard,” Martinez said.
Martinez’s training team has done many camps in the Pikes Peak region as they prepared pound-for-pound king Terence Crawford for his title fights over the last 10+ years and Martinez has enjoyed everything that Colorado Springs has to offer. “I really like doing camp here in Colorado and I plan to come here for all my future camps,” Martinez said.
In addition to the chance to train at 6035 feet, Martinez and the team completed mountain runs and the infamous Manitou Springs incline as part of his training regimen, a beautiful but extremely difficult test in conjunction with his boxing workouts. “This has been a very complete camp, the coaches have asked a lot of me but I’m doing it.”
His time in Colorado included a visit from Crawford who came in to give Martinez, his chief sparring partner for the Canelo Alvarez fight in September, an extra push and a few rounds of sparring. “The visit from Crawford was really good because I knew he wasn’t just coming to visit,” Martinez joked.
Martinez and his coaches will depart for Los Angeles on Sunday to complete their final preparations for his August 29 bout. He is ready to put on a great show for all those coming out to the Galen Center as well as those tuning in on ProBox TV. “The fans are coming with big expectations and we are going to meet them,” he said.
Tickets are on sale now for the highly anticipated WBC Interim super middleweight title fight between champion Lester Martinez of Guatemala City, Guatemala and challenger Luka “The Thunder” Plantic, 13-0 (10 KOs), of Zagreb, Croatia, August 29 at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles. The 12-round main event tops an exciting and full card from ProBox Promotions.
Tickets, starting at $50 plus fees, are now available through the USC Galen Center Event Page, through ProBox TV Tickets, or 24 hours a day by phone: 1-833-550-6452. Ticket buyers from outside of the United States should call +1 (213) 740-4672 to purchase their tickets.
For those that can’t make it to Los Angeles, they can tune in to the bout on ProBox TV for a full day of outstanding boxing action, headlined by the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Title contest.
For more on Lester Martinez, click here.
