Joeshon James readies for ProBox ‘Wednesday Night Fights’

Joeshon James’ second campaign at super middleweight is not going to be an easy one. The Vallejo, California, native must show grit against hard-hitting Lester Martinez of Guatemala in their 168-pound contest at ProBox TV Events Center in Florida on Wednesday.

James, 26, understands the assignment ahead and is already bracing for it. According to him, facing a dangerous undefeated fighter in Martinez would bring the best out of him.

“I love that I’m fighting an undefeated fighter because it brings out a different side of me,” James told ProBox TV. “So, you’re gonna just get fireworks in there. I’m pretty explosive in there so I’m just going out there to have fun; that’s really what it’s all about.”

James (9-0-2, 5 KOs) said he has been working tirelessly in training ahead of his fight with Martinez (18-0, 15 KOs). James’ sole fight this year was an eight-round decision win over journeyman Vaughn Alexander in February.

Wednesday’s fight on a ProBox card would be James’ biggest career fight and he’s ready to fight after a long camp.

“All the hard work has been done, I’ve been training hard, pushing my body to the limit, so I’m ready for Wednesday night. When I fought Alexander, I didn’t really think I would take the fight that seriously because I knew he had lost. I know he wasn’t really coming to win, but with Lester, I know he’s coming to fight and I’m coming to fight too.

“I’ve had a long, long camp. So, I’m just ready to go there, to display my skills. That’s actually kinda funny because I was just talking to my coaches about that literally about 20 minutes ago. I really don’t think there’s anything different with this guy. I’ve been in his position plenty of times. I’m excited about that, but it’s not a bad office for me.”

James’ opponent – Martinez – was on a five-knockout winning streak before recording a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Carlos Gongora in his last outing. Martinez’s resume makes him a dangerous opponent, but James is ready to execute a well-thought game plan to deal with his opponent’s threat.

With an effective game plan, James believes he would be on course for greatness if he can snatch a win against Martinez. 

“I gotta go out there and execute the game plan we’re working on. So, whatever he’s gonna bring, I’m gonna have an answer for it. I’m ready to show you guys some new stuff. A win over Martinez is gonna really be good after, but you never know. 

“This is my job. This is my career. This is what I wanna do. I just wanna fight and give the fans great 50-50 fights where they don’t know which way the fight is gonna go.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].