Lester Martinez realizes he will enter the ring Sept. 13 as an unknown, unproven opponent for Christian Mbilli.

The ambitious Guatemalan super middleweight knows, too, that this is his long-awaited opportunity to show to the boxing world what Terence Crawford and his training team have known for three years. They consider Martinez one of boxing’s best-kept secrets, an elite-level 168-pound contender who just needs the type of exposure and competition he’ll get on the Canelo Alvarez-Crawford undercard to seize his spot at the top of his division.

Montreal’s Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) has been avoided by highly rated super middleweights because the Cameroon native is a vicious volume puncher who never stops putting pressure on his opponents. The heavy-handed, highly skilled Martinez (19-0, 16 KOs) still didn’t hesitate to accept a 10-round fight for Mbilli’s WBC interim super middleweight title that will be streamed globally by Netflix.

“Mbilli is an excellent fighter,” Martinez told The Ring. “He’s shown it. We’ve all seen it. He’s very dangerous. You can’t lose focus when fighting a guy like him, but it’s gonna be a war, and I’m prepared to deliver a war.”

Sparring with Crawford since 2022 has helped Martinez make improvements, including developing more of a mean streak in the ring. They sparred countless rounds in Colorado Springs, Omaha, Nebraska, and Las Vegas over the past two months to prepare for their challenging assignments next weekend.

“I told Crawford and our trainers that he might be the main event,” Martinez said, “but I’m gonna steal the show that night.”

DraftKings lists Mbilli as a marginal favorite (minus-185/plus-145), in part due to Martinez’s anonymity.

Mbilli has developed a reputation as a dangerous fighter Alvarez, the undisputed super middleweight champion, and undefeated contender Diego Pacheco don’t want to face. Martinez, meanwhile, has fought away from the spotlight, even after Brian McIntyre and the rest of Crawford’s training team began working with him.

“All the eyes of the [boxing] world are gonna be looking at [Mbilli],” Martinez said, “because a lot of people in the boxing world know him and it’s a big fight. So, if they’re gonna go and see his fight, with eyes on him, of course they’re gonna see his opponent, too. We know what Mbilli can do, but you’re gonna see my boxing in this fight.”

Mbilli, 30, is ranked No. 1 among The Ring’s super middleweight contenders for Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs), who will also defend his IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts against Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs).

Martinez, 29, withdrew from three fights within the past year due to various ailments, most recently early in July, and was consequently removed from The Ring’s top 10. He is ranked third (WBA), seventh (WBC) and 15th (WBO), but Martinez is motivated to swap places with Mbilli by beating the most formidable foe he’ll have faced in six years as a pro.

“Mbilli is a great fighter,” Martinez said. “He’s an interim champion and I think that alone makes him better than the other fighters that I’ve faced. What I wanna tell people is to not miss my fight and to not forget the name Lester Martinez.”