Lester Martinez is set to headline a ProBox TV event in Southern California this March after Christian Mbilli opted to pursue a bout with Jaime Munguia instead of an immediate rematch. Martinez and Mbilli fought to a thrilling draw on September 13 on the undercard of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas — a fight widely hailed as a Fight of the Year contender.
Mbilli, the interim WBC super middleweight titleholder, now seeks an exception from the sanctioning body to face Munguia, the former junior middleweight champion turned super middleweight contender, for an early 2026 showdown. “It’s the fight the fans want and deserve, but he doesn’t want it,” Martinez said of Mbilli’s decision. “He wants to fight Munguia, and I don’t blame him.”
Mbilli’s promoter Camille Estephan supported the move, saying, “Mbilli wants to fight Munguia, and Munguia wants to fight Mbilli, and it would be a great fight given their abilities. In my book, Mbilli-Martinez was Fight of the Year, and Munguia is all-action, too.” Estephan noted that timing favors making the Munguia fight now, with Martinez remaining a future target.
ProBox owner Garry Jonas pushed back, suggesting that Mbilli was avoiding the rematch. “Martinez wants to fight Mbilli, but apparently Mbilli doesn’t want to fight Martinez,” Jonas said. “We were forced into a 10-round championship fight with Mbilli, and we feel if the fight went 12 rounds, we clearly would have won it.” Jonas added that WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman encouraged Martinez to stay active, hinting that a win in March could secure him a title shot against the Mbilli-Munguia winner.
Martinez has embraced his new headlining opportunity. The March ProBox event will take place in Southern California to capitalize on his growing popularity among the large Guatemalan community in the region. “Bringing Lester to his fan base in the Los Angeles area is a pretty good alternative for Lester and ProBox,” Jonas said. “His popularity has blown up since that fight, so the time is right to bring him ‘home’ to his strongest possible fan base in the U.S.”
Image Credit: The Ring