Lester Martinez vs Luka Plantic Preview August 29th, 2026
Undefeated Lester Martinez of Guatemala defends his WBC Interim Super Middleweight Belt this Saturday, August 29th when he meets unbeaten Luka Plantic of Croatia. Martinez last fought in March when he beat Immanuwel Aleem via a wide 12-round unanimous decision to take the interim belt. In his previous outing six months earlier he battled to a 10-round draw with Christian Mbili in an excellent fight. Plantic last saw action in November when he stopped Shadiri Musa Bwogi in the ninth round to retain his WBC International Super Middleweight Crown. This Saturday’s bout from Los Angeles, California can be seen live on ProBox TV.
Martinez vs Plantic Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Luka Plantic +439
- Lester Martinez -700
My Pick
The 30-year-old Martinez hails from Guatemala City and he’s entering the contest with a near-perfect mark of 20-0-1 with 16 Ko’s to his name. The only fight he hasn’t won was the draw with Christian Mbili two fights ago. Martinez has now fought 96 rounds since making his pro debut in 2019. He enjoyed a fine amateur career as he won a silver medal as a light-welterweight at the Youth World Championships in 2012 captured a gold as a middleweight at the Central American and Caribbean Games in 2018.
Martinez stands 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 71.5-inch reach which means he is 3.5-inches shorter than Plantic. When it comes to power, Martinez has plenty of it as his current knockout comes in at 80 per cent. He’s gone the distance just five times as Carlos Congora took him 10 rounds in 2024 while Rodolfo Gomez Jr did the same in 2022. Raiko Santana also went 10 rounds with him in 2021 and of course he went the distance with Mbili and Aleem in his last two fights.
In his pro debut, Martinez stopped former world champion Ricardo Mayorga in the second round and won the vacant WBC Latino Super Middleweight Title in 2020 by halting Uriel Gonzalez in the first round. He has also beaten Joeshon James and stopped Ruben Angulo in the second round in 2024 to capture the vacant WBC Latino Super Middleweight Belt. Back in 2021 he halted Gabriel Lopez in the fourth round to take the vacant WBO Latino Super Middleweight Crown.
The 29-year-old Plantic is a southpaw who fights out of Solin, Croatia. He enters the ring with a perfect record of 13-0 with 10 Ko’s and has boxed 80 rounds since making his pro debut in 2018. As an amateur he fought a reported 450 fights and represented Croatia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. He won his first fight and lost his second contest in Japan. He captured a bronze medal at the 2022 European Amateur Boxing Championships though. Plantic stopped christian Mbili in the amateurs and lost split decisions to Joshua Buatsi and Ben Whittaker.
Plantic measures just under six-feet-tall but unfortunately has an unlisted reach. His nickname is ‘The Thunder’ and that’s due to the fact that his current knockout ratio stands at 77 per cent. He’s gone the distance just three times as a pro but two of those outings came in his last two fights. Plantic won the vacant WBC International Silver Super Middleweight Title in 2022 with a 10-round unanimous decision over Ryno Liebenberg and has successfully defended it seven times.
Most of Plantic’s pro opponents aren’t recognizable to the average boxing fan even though they entered the ring with a winning record. However he did stop Jack Cullen in the fifth round in 2024 and beat Bruno Damian Acosta via a comfortable 10-round unanimous decision in May, 2025. He’s taking a step up in class against Martinez this weekend and will be fighting outside of Europe and in America for the first time.
Prediction…
Martinez and Plantic are both high-paced, aggressive boxers with good power. This should lead to a match with a high punch output with both men’s chins being tested. Martinez has the edge here though as he’s faced much stiffer opposition as a pro and I’m expecting him to leave the ring with his interim title. He he could possibly do it by stoppage as well.
Martinez has greater pro experience. .
Play: Martinez -700 @ BetOnline.ag
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Lester Martinez betting • Luka Plantic betting