Lester Martinez closes Colorado camp ahead of August 29 WBC defence

WBC interim super middleweight champion Lester Martinez is completing his training camp in Colorado Springs before defending his title against Luka Plantic on August 29 at Los Angeles’ Galen Center. Martinez has a 20-0-1 record with 16 knockouts, while Croatia’s unbeaten challenger is 13-0 with 10 stoppages.

The bout will be Martinez’s second fight of 2026 and his first defence since he became the first Guatemalan boxer to win part of a major sanctioning body world title in March. Plantic, a 2020 Croatian Olympian, is the mandatory challenger and will contest the 12-round main event in Los Angeles.

Martinez and his team have spent the past four weeks preparing at high altitude in Colorado Springs, following earlier camp work in Las Vegas and southern California. Coaches Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, Esau Dieguez and longtime trainer Hector Arreola have placed particular emphasis on the camp, which Martinez described as more demanding than his previous preparations.

The training has included boxing sessions, mountain runs and the Manitou Springs incline. The Colorado Springs base sits at 6,035 feet, and the region has also been used by Martinez’s chief sparring partner, Terence Crawford, during preparations for major fights over more than a decade.

Crawford visited the camp and completed several rounds of sparring with Martinez. The Guatemalan is due to travel to Los Angeles on Sunday for the final stage of preparation, with the bout carrying added significance because it will be his first appearance in the city, which has the largest Guatemalan population in the United States.

Martinez’s contest with Plantic will be promoted by ProBox Promotions and broadcast on ProBox TV. The Galen Center is also scheduled to host badminton and rhythmic gymnastics at the 2028 Olympic Games, which are now less than two years away.