Lester Martinez with coach Esau Dieguez after defeating Ruben Angulo on February 23 in Guatemala Metropolis. (Picture courtesy of Esau Dieguez)
One other combat, one other knockout win for Lester Martinez.
The unbeaten tremendous middleweight KO’d Ruben Angulo within the second spherical Friday night time on the Parque de la Industria in Martinez’s hometown of Guatemala Metropolis.
Martinez improved to 17-0 (15 knockouts) and gained a WBC regional title belt.
The 28-year-old Martinez was the numerous favourite going into the combat, however Angulo hung in there with him, selecting to remain within the pocket and commerce, discovering some success on the within.
In direction of the top of spherical two, a three-punch mixture, culminating with a left hook to the pinnacle, dropped Angulo to the canvas. Angulo remained down as referee Hector Afu counted him out at 2:52.
“Beforehand, I felt very comfortable to combat right here in Guatemala,” stated Martinez to reporter Omar Solis after the combat. “Seeing so many individuals (in attendance). I acquired tears in my eyes once I heard the nationwide anthem earlier than the combat.
“We educated very laborious for this combat to organize for a warfare in every spherical, however we did suppose this combat was going to [be won] early. I’ll relaxation for every week or two, after which my workforce will discuss when the subsequent combat will happen.”
Martinez made headlines a number of weeks in the past as he sparred undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford on the High Rank Gymnasium in Las Vegas. A photograph of the 2 went viral, as Crawford has been talked about as a attainable opponent for undisputed tremendous middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford and Martinez are each co-trained by Brian “BoMac” McIntyre and Esau Dieguez.
Breaking 🚨
Terence Crawford spars 16-0 tremendous middleweight Lester Martinez in preparation for Canelo Alvarez & or David Benavidez..Wow‼️#Boxing pic.twitter.com/toKAunN1P0
— AccordingToBoxing (@AccordToBoxing) February 10, 2024
In his earlier combat on July 12, Martinez knocked out Brazil’s Lucas de Abreu within the fourth spherical.
Angulo, who resides in Buenaventura, Colombia, falls to 11-9-2 (5 KOs). The 25-year-old entered the Martinez combat having gained three fights in a row after going winless in his earlier eight.
Within the co-feature, flyweight contender David Jimenez of Costa Rica defeated Guatemala Metropolis’s Pablo Macario (8-6, 4 KOs) by unanimous resolution. Scores have been 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 for Jimenez.
Jimenez is rated No. 7 at 112 kilos by The Ring. The 31-year-old has gained his final three fights since dropping to then-WBA world flyweight titleholder Artem Dalakian on January 28 of final 12 months.
Friday’s card was co-promoted by Carlos Rivera, Ernesto Sandoval and Diego Victoria.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has coated boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He could be reached at [email protected]
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