LAS VEGAS – Like most Guatemalan males, Lester Martinez dreamed of playing professional soccer when he was a kid.

Boxing isn’t a prominent sport in his home country, but taking up the sport when he was 11 years old enabled Martinez to earn a high school scholarship in Guatemala. Nearly two decades later, Martinez’s meandering journey through the amateur and professional ranks led him to Allegiant Stadium, where he can completely change his life Saturday night.

If Martinez beats Christian Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs), he won’t just become Guatemala’s first world champion by winning the WBC interim super middleweight title.

Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs) would also knock off The Ring’s No. 1-ranked contender in the 168-pound division and introduce himself to an enormous audience that figures to watch the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford undercard on Netflix.

“Not many great fighters have come out of Guatemala,” Martinez told The Ring. “There have been fighters, but not many great ones. So, you can imagine the excitement of being on a card this big, Canelo versus Crawford. Coming from a very small country like Guatemala, this is the biggest opportunity of my life, on one of the biggest cards ever. It’s a dream come true.”

Martinez’s dream crept closer to reality three years ago. That’s when Esau Dieguez, a longtime member of Crawford’s training team, finally convinced Brian McIntyre, Crawford’s head trainer, to take a long look at Martinez.

Dieguez is from Guatemala, but he has lived in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s hometown, for two-plus decades.

“He had been telling them, ‘Hey, bring this guy here. I know this guy,’ ” Martinez said. “And I think they got tired of hearing him, so they gave me a chance.”

Martinez became a full-time stablemate of Crawford once he stopped Cleveland’s Isaiah Steen (16-2, 12 KOs) in the eighth round of their April 2023 bout in Las Vegas.

“Three years ago is when I started with them,” Martinez recalled. “They tested me. They wanted to see me win my 15th pro fight [against Steen] and I defeated him very well. So, that’s when [McIntyre] said, ‘OK, bring him to camp. We’re gonna see him there.’ Since then, I’ve been very blessed by being part of the team.”

Crawford’s influence naturally helped Martinez land a prominent spot on the undercard of the biggest boxing match in the United States since Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao 10 years ago.

A capacity crowd of more than 65,000 is expected to pack the home stadium of the NFL’s Raiders for the Alvarez-Crawford card.

More viewers will watch because it’s not on pay-per-view in the U.S. Netflix has over 300 million subscribers worldwide who won’t be required to pay more than their monthly subscription fee to watch the four-fight Alvarez-Crawford show (9 p.m. ET; 6 p.m. PT).

Montreal’s Mbilli, 30, has more momentum than Martinez entering their 10-round fight. He is the mandatory challenger for Alvarez’s WBC belt and developed a reputation as the super middleweight division's most avoided fighter.

Martinez, 29, feels properly prepared for this life-changing chance because he has learned so much while working alongside Crawford. They have sparred countless rounds against one another and the tireless Crawford’s work ethic has rubbed off on Martinez.

“I’m not gonna be the favorite [against Mbilli],” Martinez said, “but I’m used to going to places and being the underdog. So, I think that I’m gonna put myself and Guatemala on the map.”

Before Crawford’s handlers helped him, Martinez mostly honed his craft in anonymity.

Manager Aldo Mir signed Martinez to a contract once he witnessed Martinez’s upset of Arlen Lopez, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Cuba, in an amateur tournament seven years ago in Barranquilla, Colombia. That victory was transformative for Martinez, who estimates he only won about half of his approximately 40 amateur fights.

Martinez stopped faded former champion Ricardo Mayorga in the second round of his pro debut in April 2019. He hasn’t fought anyone nearly as dangerous as Mbilli in six years as a pro, yet the hard-hitting technician has waited patiently to exploit this type of opportunity.

“I want people to know Lester Martinez is here,” he said, “and made for big things.”