Julio Cesar Martinez couldn’t ask for a more inspiring ally to raise his own game.

The long-reigning WBC flyweight titlist is ready to take care of old business with his mandatory title defense versus interim beltholder McWilliams Arroyo. The two collide this Friday as part of a four-title fight show live on DAZN from SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire. Martinez-Arroyo has been more than a year in the making, with the fight having been scheduled on three different shows though apparently set for this weekend.

It comes on the heels of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez—Martinez’s stablemate as a proud representative of Canelo Promotions and part of Eddy Reynoso's camp—creating history for Mexico in becoming the nation’s first-ever undisputed champion. The feat was also a first for the super middleweight division as a whole, as Alvarez unified the WBA/WBC/IBF/WBO titles in an 11th round knockout of then-unbeaten Caleb Plant (21-1, 12KOs) earlier this month in Las Vegas.

Martinez (18-1, 14KOs; 1ND) has long sought to become undisputed flyweight king. Seeing his countryman accomplish the feat only further drives home that goal.

“It inspires me a lot,” Martinez told BoxingScene.com. “It’s a different division, obviously, but it’s the same dream. The dream is to fully unify the flyweight division. “These are the fights where I have to prove myself. I want to become undisputed flyweight champion.”

Much like super middleweight, the flyweight division has never had an undisputed champion in either the three-belt (WBA/WBC/IBF) or four-belt era. In fact, only two fighters in this century have served as unified titlist at the weight—Brian Viloria, who held the WBA/WBO titles before losing to Juan Francisco Estrada in April 2013. Estrada currently serves as the lineal junior bantamweight champion and with Martinez eyeing his countryman as a future target.

First comes his oft-rescheduled fight with Puerto Rico’s Arroyo (21-4, 16KOs)—which was postponed twice due to illness and injury suffered by Martinez on separate occasions—then the historic pursuit.

“Everything begins Friday,” notes Martinez, whose only defeat came in his pro debut and is unbeaten in 19 subsequent starts. “I know McWilliams is coming with everything. I’m healthy and I’m ready for this fight and to rule this division. With the support of my trainer Mauricio Aceves, we’re going to bring together all of these titles and create our own history.”

Martinez attempts the fourth defense of the title he won in December 2019, most recently retaining the title in a sixth-round knockout of Joel Cordova this past June 26 in Guadalajara. The bout with Arroyo serves in supporting capacity to regional favorite Demetrius Andrade (30-0. 18KOs) in a WBO middleweight title defense versus Ireland’s Jason Quigley (19-1, 14KOs).

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox