It seems Brian McIntyre, or more commonly “BoMac,” is still done with Canelo Alvarez. He wants to inflict the Mexican boxing star with yet another painful loss. This past September, BoMac scripted an outstanding win that saw Terence Crawford climb two divisions to deliver a resounding defeat to Canelo and claim his undisputed 168-pound title.
With Crawford now retired, the award-winning trainer now trains his guns at Canelo through Lester Martinez. Rebounding from the fight against Christian M’billi, which ended in a draw, the Guatemalan native claimed the vacant WBC interim title at the super middleweight division on a Pro Box headliner in California. Thrilled by his pupil’s feat, BoMac wants to test the waters with matchups against the Cameroonian-French champion and Canelo.
“Beautiful. Damn beautiful. That’s beautiful, man. I love it. I love I would never trade nothing like this again,” BoMac told Fight Hub TV. “I would never trade nothing like this again, man. This sh*t is beautiful. Making world champions, man. And just going for the next motherf**ker that’s in the weight class. Have you heard me, M’billi-Canelo? Anybody else out there that’s 168 lbs. want this sh*t Let’s get it.”
His comments follow Martinez’s unanimous win over Immanuwel Aleem. While it gives the 30-year-old a direct shot at the world title, now held by M’billi, it also makes a fight with Canelo Alvarez feasible given the Mexican is the number one ranked contender.
Setting aside his personal views, BoMac had already made Martinez’s goals amply clear.
“He’s at the top of the division right now, and he wants to conquer the division,” McIntyre told Pro Box TV. “He wants to be undisputed in the 168-pound division. Watch out for him. He’s another legend in the making. He definitely will be the undisputed champion.”
That point brings to attention the most practical route for Martinez to become a champion because one in particular still means a direct clash with Canelo.
From a steady period where Canelo held all four belts for close to 4 years, the super middleweight division has entered a phase of uncertainty, particularly after Crawford decided to step away from boxing. As a result, with only Jose Armando Resendiz and Christian M’billi holding the titles—WBA and the WBC, respectively—the IBF and WBO are currently vacant.
At the WBO, Canelo holds the number one contender’s spot. So in a scenario where M’billi and Resendiz are not available, then Lester Martinez’s most realistic route to a world title at 168 would be through a fight with him. Else, he will have to face Osleys Iglesias for the IBF belt.
A more pragmatic thing for Martinez and BoMac would be to wait and watch. With his elevation as WBC champion, M’billi is looking forward to a matchup against Canelo. They were pictured together with Turki Alalshikh at the Ring Awards, lending more weight to what is now a mere rumor.
Even at the WBO, it’s highly likely the Puerto Rico-based sanctioning body will call out the contender below Canelo for the vacant title.
Speaking with Pro Box TV, BoMac pointed out how Martinez shares certain traits with the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Like the late middleweight icon, his charge is also tough and stoic.
“The thing about Lester’s style is he’s relentless,” BoMac said. “He’s constantly punching, coming forward. He’s tricky with his punches. It reminds me of Marvin Hagler. The type of attitude that he has, the will that he has to win.”
What he didn’t mention was how Hagler waited for years to get a shot at a world title.
Now it remains to be seen if Lester Martinez is able to sit out and wait patiently as the landscape around him shifts, without losing any of his momentum.
