Taking a risk is something that the team of Joeshon James are familiar with as the middleweight prepares for yet another tough challenge in his young career, facing his fifth unbeaten fighter in his 12th professional bout.
James (9-0-2, 5 KOs) once again finds himself the underdog, this time against Lester Martinez in a 10-round main event at ProBox TV’s Wednesday Night Fights in Plant City, Fla. at the ProBox TV Events Center.
James, 26, from Sacramento, California, entered his last fight on ProBox TV against tough veteran Vaughn Alexander after a string of tricky bouts in 2022 and 2023. His impressive run includes a knockout of Thompson Boxing’s Richard Brewart Jr., a draw with Top Rank’s Javier Martinez, and a one-round knockout of undefeated David Stevens on a Golden Boy Promotions show. Despite these performances, James remains without a major promoter, forging a path reminiscent of 1940s and ’50s fighters, choosing challenges over “the business of boxing.”
Head trainer Andres Martinez, known as “Dre,” understands the stakes heading into this fight. “It’s going to be tough. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but my thought is we’re going to put it on him. We’re looking to go to war. So my personal thought is we win with either the referee stopping it or by a unanimous decision,” Martinez said.
James’ unconventional journey is not lost on his trainer. With a deep amateur background dating back to national tournaments in 2014, James has yet to receive the recognition many of his peers enjoy. Still, Martinez believes that the tough road has only made James stronger. “I just think they don’t give Shon enough credit. This is our fifth undefeated fighter. We haven’t had it easy, but this gives Shon motivation. He just wants to go put on his war shorts and go to war. When the lights are on, it’s gonna be Shontime,” Martinez said.
On the other side of the ring, Martinez (13-0, 11 KOs), 28, originally from Guatemala, trains under Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, alongside world-class fighters like Terence Crawford, Troy Isley, and Keyshawn Davis. Facing such a well-respected team only adds to the excitement for James’ camp. “It’s exciting to know that we’re not just fighting a local hero. We’re fighting someone from a team that has trained champions like Crawford. We’re excited to prove that this is where we belong,” Martinez said.
Despite their low profile on social media, coach Martinez believes that Team James are ready to make a statement. “We might be the most underrated boxing team in the big leagues because I don’t think they know about any of us. Shon has three Mexican guys in his corner, and no one knows about us, and I’m okay with that,” Martinez added.
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.
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