When asked about who he thinks will win, Trainer Esau Dieguez believes Canelo will ultimately win the fight, and they hope it will earn Lester the world title fight. However, to do so, he must first get past undefeated challenger Plantic. He must not overlook or underestimate Luka, who could pose some technical challenges.
A fighter who had success in the amateurs, having defeated a young Mbilli. Esau knows he is a legitimate threat and has prepared for that: “We know he’s a strong fighter, and he’s coming into this fight fully prepared. Seeing who he trained with and prepared with [Joel Diaz] for this fight, we know the trainers he has are good, but we are confident we will win. We prepared extremely hard…extremely hard, and we expect to win. We didn’t come to see if we can but because we can.”
Martinez has an 80 percent knockout ratio but struggled to drop the gritty and tough veteran Immanuel Aleem in his last fight, going the distance. Lester appears focused and ready to demonstrate he is worthy of a world title, telling us at yesterday’s weigh-in what he expects from Plantic: “Look, I’ve fought with undefeated fighters; I’ve had those experiences. The boxer who we’re fighting tomorrow has a good record and has good power from what I can assess from his record. He’s a good fighter. I think this fight will lend itself to prove I’m adept to fight for the world title.”
Lester had his training camp in Colorado Springs, training in elevation, scaling the rigorous Manitou Incline multiple times during camp to build his stamina and conditioning. He even had a sparring session with former undisputed super middleweight champion Terence Crawford.
Luka may have amateur experience but is limited as a professional, having only fought in thirteen fights. Martinez will test him on the inside and may choose to box instead of exchange with him once he feels his power. This is Lester’s moment, with his countrymen coming out in full support to back the Guatemalan interim champion, he must now perform to expectations and give them a great show, anything less than a dominant performance may delay his championship aspirations. Plantic will seek to test Martinez’s technical abilities; Lester must effectively cut the ring and utilize his jab, which will be key in his victory.
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