Undefeated two-weight world champion Jermall Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) will battle veteran contender Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (39-5-1, 18 KOs) on Saturday, May 31 from the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, live on Prime Video.
Charlo-LaManna will co-headline the PBC Championship Boxing event alongside WBA Interim super-middleweight titlist Caleb Plant, who takes on Mexican knockout artist Armando Reséndiz.
Two of the sport’s top super-middleweights, Plant and Charlo, will each look for emphatic victories in their respective contests on May 31 to set up a 168-pound grudge match between them next, to finally settle their feud after years of call outs and bad blood.
Jermall Charlo vs Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna
Unbeaten two-division champion Jermall Charlo will step back into the ring after over a year-and-a-half away to face the upset-minded Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna in a 10-round super-middleweight showdown.
A former world champion at 154 and 160 pounds, 34-year-old Texan Charlo will now begin his quest to become a three-division world champion in the stacked 168-pound division, currently ruled by Canelo Alvarez.
A native of Houston, Charlo first became a world champion way back in 2015 with a dominant knockout of Cornelius Bundrage, and would go on to defend the title three times, including an emphatic stoppage of the then-unbeaten Julian Williams in December 2016.
The ‘Hit Man’ would then begin a middleweight run that saw him earn the WBC championship and add victories over top contenders including Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Matt Korobov, Hugo Centeno Jr. and more.
Trained by the renowned Ronnie Shields, Jermall’s last fight was in November 2023 when he earned a unanimous decision triumph over Jose Benavidez Jr.
By the time May 31 rolls around, he would have been out of the ring for 18 months.
“I took the time to rebuild myself and I rebuilt my focus,” explained Charlo. “I’m locked in with my team and I’m ready for this new chapter at super-middleweight.
“The journey continues. I’m back in full effect and I can’t wait to show my fans what I’ve been working on. It’s time!”
A native of New Jersey, LaManna has been a popular fighter in the northeast for years, taking on a host of contenders throughout his career.
The 33-year-old lost a world title challenge against WBA Middleweight World Champion Erislandy Lara in May 2021, but has since put together an impressive nine-fight winning streak, six of those coming by stoppage.
The 33-year-old’s resume includes going up against top fighters Brian Mendoza, Jorge Cota, Antoine Douglas and Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, in addition to a draw against Gabriel Bracero and victories over Mike Arnaoutis and Juan Carlos Abreu.
The world title contender commented, “Facing a big name like Jermall Charlo is the kind of challenge I’ve been working for my whole life.
“A win against him on May 31 isn’t just a victory for me, it’s life-changing for my family, a statement to the world, and proof that I belong among the best.”
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