Lester Martinez cancels planned fight due to illness

By Moses Ochieng

On Wednesday, Lester Martinez (18-0, 15 KOs) of Guatemala City, Guatemala, who weighed 167 pounds, had to cancel his scheduled fight against Joeshon James due to illness. The announcement, delivered by commentator Jimmy Smith, disappointed the 26-year-old James and his team.

James (9-0-2, 5 KOs), of Sacramento, California, weighed in at 167.6 pounds and was ready to fight his first televised main event. This fight would have been his second fight in 2024, following a unanimous decision victory over Vaughn Alexander in February.

The new main event was a 10-round middleweight bout between 35-year-old Vladimir Hernandez (15-6, 7 KOs) of Stockton, California, and 25-year-old Raul Garcia (13-1-1, 11 KOs) of the Dominican Republic, in which Hernandez earned a unanimous decision victory over Raul Garcia.

“Friends, I will not be fighting today due to health reasons. Thank you all for your support,” Lester said on his Instagram page.

Martinez, 28, has honed his skills through various methods, including training under Brian “Bomac” McIntyre, Esau Dieguez, and Red Spikes. He also recently had the opportunity to train with Terence Crawford. A photo of their sparring session at a Las Vegas gym circulated on social media a few months ago. In addition, Crawford has taken the initiative to work on pads with Martinez, which helps him refine his technique and further complement his natural power.

Martinez is a ProBox veteran, having defeated Lucas de Abreu by 4th round knockout in July 2023. In his last fight on June 28, Martinez earned a dominant and notable victory over Carlos Gongora. This win not only solidified Martinez's position in the division, but also secured him a spot in The Ring's top 10 ratings. The fight with James would have been Martinez's third fight of the year.

James has proven himself to be a skilled B-man against undefeated talent, and has a 2-0-2 record in such situations. His most notable win was a first-round knockout of David Stevens last October. In his most recent fight, he secured a decision win over Vaughn Alexander at ProBox in February.