“No, listen,” snapped Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna. “So, look. I didn’t want to interrupt you and be rude and stuff, but I’m cutting all that shit out.”

The New Jersey veteran fights Jermall Charlo in Las Vegas on May 31, in a co-feature to Caleb Plant facing Jose Armando Resendiz.

From the outside looking in, it appears Premier Boxing Champions want to get to the grudge match between Charlo and Plant following their unsanctioned clash in the bowels of the T-Mobile Arena in 2023. But LaManna has no intention of Plant-Charlo happening.

“We’re not talking about Plant versus Charlo,” he continued, to BoxingScene. “We’re not doing that. You know what I mean? We’re not going to do that because at the end of the day, Jermall has to fight me and Caleb Plant has to fight – what’s his name? Resendiz? 

“So, you know, that’s what we fight the fights for. And the truth is, Resendiz has no shot to beat Caleb Plant. He cannot beat Caleb Plant. Okay? That’s a fact. Well, it’s not a fact, but that’s more than likely. Okay? I could beat Jermall Charlo. I could beat him, so we can upset that. There’s no point talking about it. Let the fights happen first, and then what happens, happens.”

The fights will take place at the Michelob Arena at Vegas’ Mandalay Bay, and Charlo has been on course to face the 39-5-1 (18 KOs) boxer from Millville for months. 

“It’s something that we were planning for, but whatever was going on with him put me on ice for a while, but yeah, I mean, finally,” he said. “Everything’s finally a go. It was frustrating as hell but it is what it is. It’s boxing. It’s not going to be the last time. It wasn’t the first; it won’t be the last. I’m just glad it’s here, so whatever happened in the past, it is what it is. We got a fight, and now, it’s going to happen.”

The 33-year-old boxed as recently as March, when stopping the 11-6-1 Noe Alejandro Lopez in two rounds in Philadelphia.

Unbeaten in 33 contests, Charlo, who is 34 years old, is an entirely different proposition, but he’s been blighted by inactivity and has fought just once in four years. That means that LaManna feels it might actually be happening at the right time.

“He’s not the same, I don’t think,” said LaManna. “But there’s only one way to find out and that’s to fight. That’s to fight the fight. So timing is everything. I’m real; I’m a stickler for that. Timing’s everything inside and outside the ring.

“So, yeah, I got lucky. I’m the chosen one to get him on his comeback and I’m going to make sure I make that known. It was a bad idea.”

But LaManna also recognizes that Charlo’s lack of activity is a wildcard in that no one knows what Charlo will bring on May 31. And the Jersey fighter understands that could also be the case. 

“Everybody speculates what’s going on,” he added. “Everybody speculates what he’s been doing, what he hasn’t been doing. I don’t think that’s fair. I just think people need to let the fight happen and let it play out.”

LaManna has revealed that he struggled through the pandemic, and there have been multiple times when he considered walking away from life as an active fighter. Now, however, his decision to come back and fight on has been validated, but he also believes that Charlo could be his steepest challenge yet.

“This is everything – it’s the biggest thing,” he said. 

“It’s the biggest name [I’ve faced]. I got almost 50-something pro fights and this is the biggest name. Probably [bigger than] everybody combined, for real. Including guys like [Erislandy] Lara. So, yeah, this is what it's all about. This is boxing. I’m just really happy to be a part of it. Being a co-main on Amazon is crazy.”

Had LaManna kept walking, he would never have known what he would have missed. His door to another major fight would have closed and this headline opportunity would never have materialized. He had all but given up on something like this years ago.

“A million percent – I quit boxing a thousand times,” he said. “Years ago, many, many. times. 

“Actually, I’m not even sure. What was it – 2017, maybe? I had went through a whole retirement phase. I was done boxing. I didn’t want to do it no more, because nothing was happening. The big fights weren’t happening. I never had got, like a big, major opportunity fighting on TV or something like that. Boxing, it’s really a love-hate sport. So, you know, you just gotta be a little sick to love it for real. But I’m just gonna be a testament of just the common shit; never stopping; never quitting; just believing in yourself; all that good shit. That’s what it’s about.”

LaManna was pleased he fought in March. He had been training, hoping the Charlo fight might come, but at least his camp was not wasted.

“Since the end of September, they had me on ice,” he explained. “We were supposed to fight in December. Then that whole card got canceled; pushed back to March.

“Then it was like five weeks before the fight in March, the day before they were getting ready to announce… And they called me and said, ‘You know, won’t be ready to fight because of whatever’. So it was just some crazy shit, man. Some crazy stuff. I’m just thankful that I was able to fight regardless. I don’t really like tune-ups, but it is what it is. I took care of what I had to take care of. It felt good, but I was kind of right back in the gym because I just felt something was going to happen.

“We were working on a whole other fight, not Jermall. And then Luis DeCubas called me and from that moment on I kind of heard a different voice; a different tone in his voice. And I kind of knew that, ‘Oh, this shit’s for real now’. And so my mind switched to that and it got done.”
Through it all, LaManna waited and dreamed. He hoped and prayed. And, finally, the call came, and LaManna believes it is his affable nature and lifelong bonds in the sport that finally earned him his reward.

“Boxing’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” he said. “In life, actually, for real, you gotta be with the right people and all that. I’m very fortunate. I’m very, very fortunate to not only be the fighter, but also on the business-side; the promoting-side. I have long, long, long friendships and relationships with people… the head guys at PBC; the head guys at Top Rank; the head guys who run Matchroom USA. Like, these guys are good colleagues and buddies… 

“We all grew up together in a way. They’re all a little bit older than me, but relationships are everything and that’s what I think got it for me. In addition to my commitment, in addition to the hard work and sacrifice and all that good shit, that’s what got me this. I just gotta make the best of it.”