FANS are being treated to a colossus of an event on Saturday night, where Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford sit atop the standout bill of the calendar. Now, reigning WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson has picked out one fighter on the undercard, whom he believes can pull off an upset win.
A packed-out preliminary card will kick off an extended night of action at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this weekend, where a grand total of ten contests are scheduled to take place.
However, in the eyes of many, the highlight attraction is the battle for the WBC interim super-middleweight title, as hard-hitting undefeated duo Christian Mbilli, 29-0 (24 KOs), and Lester Martinez, 19-0 (16 KOs), go toe-to-toe in a bid to tee up an eventual shot at the victor of the main event.
More proven at the world level, it is Mbilli who will enter the ring as the betting favourite on fight night, with wins over the likes of Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Maciej Sulecki proving that he has the guts and guile to support his phenomenal punch power and one day become champion.
Yet, on his X account, WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, 24-0 (11 KOs), has revealed that he is going against the grain and picking Crawford’s Guatemalan sparring partner, Martinez, to make a fool of the bookmakers’ odds.
“Let me put y’all on game, Lester Martinez underdog… Drop a bag!!!”
The 29-year-old notably overcame Carlos Gongora in a career-best win last summer before a statement knockout victory against Joeshon James earlier this year further thrust him into world title contention.
Although his arguably most eye-catching victory came in the amateur ranks, when he defeated Cuba’s two-time Olympic gold medallist, Arlen Lopez, to become the first Guatemalan in 68 years to claim gold at the Central American and Caribbean Games.
On Saturday, many are expecting Mbilli-Martinez to steal the show in what seems destined to be an enthralling encounter that is unlikely to require the judges’ intervention, and a triumph for Martinez could line up a shot at becoming Guatemala’s first-ever world champion.
