Martinez sought a rematch against Christian Mbilli following their spectacular split draw in September, but he’ll have to settle for a shot at a secondary title.

Montreal’s Mbilli was the WBC interim champion at the time he fought Martinez on the undercard of Terence Crawford’s win against Canelo Alvarez. He was elevated to full champion once the sanctioning body stripped Crawford on December 3 for not paying a $300,000 sanctioning fee.

The WBC ordered an immediate rematch between Mbilli and Martinez four days following their thrilling, back-and-forth fight that featured 685 combined punches. The move became a moot point once the sanctioning body elevated Mbilli as its full titleholder.

Crawford announced his retirement on December 16, which made Mbilli an even bigger power player in the division and a desirable opponent for Canelo Alvarez for a potential fight this September, all while leaving Martinez on the outside looking in, at least for now.

Martinez (19-0-1, 16 KOs) is an entertaining power-puncher from Guatemala who is coached by Brian McIntyre. He has long received support from Crawford, his training stablemate.

Martinez is The Ring’s No. 4-ranked super middleweight contender. Mbilli is rated No. 3 and Alvarez is No. 1. The 30-year-old Martinez can further stake a claim in the division by beating Aleem for the WBC’s interim title.

“I really thought I won the fight on September 13, and it’s been frustrating to not get a rematch with Mbilli,” Martinez said. “I very much appreciate the WBC for giving me this opportunity. It’s been my dream to be the first Guatemalan champion ever. I can’t wait for March 21.”

Before the bout against Mbilli, Martinez knocked out Joeshon James in the fourth round last March at the same venue where he’ll meet Aleem almost a year to the day later.

Aleem (22-3-3, 14 KOs) is ranked No. 14 by the WBC, but he is nowhere near the stratosphere of the top-flight contenders in the division. Aleem is 6-3-3 over his last 12 fights spanning 10 years.

The 32-year-old contender from Richmond, Virginia, has fought to draws against Winfred Harris Jr., Matt Korobov and Demond Nicholson, lost to Amilcar Vidal Jr., Ronald Ellis and Hugo Centeno Jr. He last fought against Nicholson in July, when he won their rematch by ninth-round TKO.

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.