How Terence Crawford is Preparing Lester Martinez for His Title Defense

Sports, especially boxing, lend themselves to clichés, the well-known thoughts and tropes that hold some truth.

For example, "iron sharpens iron," alluding to training or competing against high-level competition to sharpen your skills, remains a vital part of the process. Lester Martinez's current training camp embodies this process.

In preparation for his upcoming fight, Martinez, the WBC interim super middleweight champion, is getting an advanced camp lesson taught by arguably one of the best fighters of the past decade. Terence Crawford stepped back into the ring, not for an active return, but as a mentor and sparring partner.

Sep 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Christian Mbilli (black trunks) and Lester Martinez (yellow trunks) box during their bout at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Crawford gives Martinez confidence

On August 29, Martinez will put his title on the line against Luka Plantic. In facing a power puncher, Martinez needed the fine-tuning that Crawford could provide. While many former boxers are trainers, few will be regarded in the same esteem as Crawford.

Speaking with ProBox TV, Martinez detailed what Crawford does for him and the aura that surrounds him when he steps into the building.

"When Terence steps back into the gym, the whole energy shifts. He doesn’t just watch; he breaks down moments, tells you where your feet should be, and shows you how to dictate tempo. Having a fighter of his caliber in your ear gives you total confidence."

By taking a nuanced approach, Crawford can break the fight down into easily digestible bite-sized pieces.

Plantic, however, has accused Martinez of bringing in Crawford out of fear. Martinez has an answer for him.

"He can say I brought Terence because I’m scared, but on fight night, it’s just the two of us. He’ll realize very quickly that training with the best in the world wasn’t out of fear—it was out of preparation to destroy him."

In Martinez's defense, he's never displayed any semblance of fear. He fought Christian Mbilli to a draw, and Mbilli is now set to face Canelo Alvarez on Halloween. The quality of competition should never be a question.

Trainer Brian "BoMac" McIntyre has tasks to complete with Martinez. The Guatemalan, a natural knockout artist due to his knack for using his lower body to sit down and keep his kinetic chain connected when throwing punches, still needs to find a way to balance the boxing aspect by being more judicious and smarter with his punches.

"BoMac doesn't let you get comfortable. Every round in sparring has a purpose; every drill has a counter. We built a strategy specifically to neutralize Plantic's aggression and turn his momentum against him."

Crawford's presence in the gym is the perfect case of teaching under stress and pressure. Learning from an undisputed champion could help Martinez along the way. Can he parlay this into a title defense?

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