LAS VEGAS – Steven Nelson knows better than any established super middleweight in boxing just what makes Lester Martinez such a dangerous fighter.

Nelson and Martinez have sparred more rounds with each other than either of them can remember since the same training team that handles Nelson and Terence Crawford began working with Martinez three years ago. Based on what Nelson learned during those spirited sessions, he can’t envision the skillful, smart Martinez losing to the formidable Mbilli.

In fact, Nelson expects the underexposed contender to beat Mbilli rather handily on the Canelo Alvarez-Crawford undercard Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium.

“He’s gonna make a statement,” Nelson told The Ring. “People are gonna be like, ‘Man, where did this guy come from?’ Because Mbilli’s gonna come in and he’s gonna do the same thing, and Lester’s gonna pick it apart. He’s gonna be great in there.”

Nelson envisions Martinez, a cunning counterpuncher, taking advantage of Mbilli’s defensive flaws as the aggressive volume puncher attempts to unload on him. Mbilli might have problems dealing with the durable, well-conditioned Martinez in the later rounds as well, according to what Nelson has experienced in the gym.

“He’s consistent and he builds,” Nelson said. “If he starts off at a nine, he’s gonna end up at a 15. He gets stronger as the rounds go on.”

Mbilli moved the second half of his training camp from his adopted hometown of Montreal to Big Bear Lake, California. He hopes preparing at a higher altitude will serve him well when he meets Martinez.

The intriguing 10-round bout between Cameroon’s Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) and Guatemala’s Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs) will be the second of four fights streamed globally by Netflix. They’ll fight for Mbilli’s WBC interim 168-pound championship.

Mbilli, 30, is The Ring’s No. 1-ranked super middleweight contender for Alvarez’s crown. Martinez, 29, is no longer rated among The Ring’s top 10 in their division.

Various ailments have caused Martinez to withdraw from three fights over the past year, most recently due to a pinched nerve in his neck early in July. Nelson nevertheless noticed a healthy, hungry Martinez in an intense training camp as he prepared to capitalize on the biggest opportunity of his eight-year pro career.

“He’s gonna make a statement [in] this fight,” Nelson said. “I’m really looking forward to his fight as well.”

Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, and Cuba’s Raiko Santana (12-4, 6 KOs) are scheduled to compete in another 10-rounder on the Alvarez-Crawford undercard.

Nelson, 37, will attempt to re-establish himself in the 168-pound division following his first loss – a 12-round, unanimous-decision defeat to Los Angeles’ Diego Pacheco (24-0, 18 KOs) on January 25 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Santana, 32, lost a competitive fight to Martinez by unanimous decision in October 2021 in Los Mochis, Mexico.

The Nelson-Santana bout will be streamed on Tudum.com, the UFC and WWE YouTube channels. Undercard coverage will begin on those three platforms at 2:30 p.m. PT (5:30 p.m. ET; 10:30 p.m. BST). Netflix’s stream of the final four fights is set to start at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET; 2 a.m. BST).