The 29-year-old from Guatemala pressed ahead early and saved Aleem working. He threw extra, stayed in vary, and picked up rounds via regular output. Aleem (22-4-3, 14 KOs) had moments the place he slowed issues down and located openings, however these stretches had been transient and didn’t change the route of the combat.
There have been no main swings on the scorecards. Martinez constructed his lead spherical by spherical, and by the later levels, Aleem wanted one thing important to shift momentum. It didn’t come. The ultimate bell closed out a combat that had been largely one-way when it comes to scoring.
The outcome follows Martinez’s 2025 draw with Christian Mbilli and provides him a belt at 168 kilos, even when on the interim degree. It additionally marks a milestone for Guatemala, with Martinez changing into the primary fighter from the nation to win a world title.
Aleem, a long-time contender, was introduced in as a take a look at of expertise and sturdiness. He stayed aggressive in spots however couldn’t match Martinez’s output throughout the complete 12 rounds. Martinez is anticipated to stay energetic in 2026.
The win for Lester, 30, places him in place to combat the winner of the September bout between WBC tremendous middleweight champion Mbilli and Canelo Alvarez. It’s not a positive factor that Martinez will get the winner of that combat, however he and his promoters can argue that he deserves a shot.
Aleem held robust towards the larger punching Martinez, however he lacked the offense to stress him sufficient to make it aggressive. It was a state of affairs the place Aleem wasn’t throwing sufficient for him to have a greater likelihood of profitable towards Lester tonight.
