Unless you’re paying close attention to the New Jersey club scene, it’s likely that you haven’t seen Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna in the ring in several years.

The last time LaManna was on the world stage was in 2021, when he was knocked out in 80 seconds by Erislandy Lara in a bid for the WBA middleweight title. That loss sent LaManna back to the club scene – and into a depression – that he had to fight his way out of.

Since then, LaManna – a 33-year-old from the Atlantic City suburb of Millville, New Jersey – has won nine straight, gathering momentum as he heads into his next big fight opportunity, a May 31 showdown with former junior middleweight and middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

Along the way, LaManna has learned hard lessons that he believes will help him against Charlo.

“I learned from the Erislandy Lara fight that I can’t let the moment get to me. If I can do that all throughout the week and get there to fight night, it’s gonna be a long night for Charlo,” said LaManna, 39-5-1 (18 KOs), at Wednesday’s media workout, which took place at P4P Boxing & Fitness (LaManna is the owner) in Atco, New Jersey.

“My whole mindset changed after the Lara fight. I didn’t want to fight anymore. But when I came back, I knew I wanted to do it the right way. I knew this was my big opportunity at the biggest stage. Now I’ve got that great opportunity.”

Though LaManna hasn’t been in a big fight in several years, he has been far more active than Charlo, who hasn’t fought since a 10-round decision over Jose Benavidez Jnr in November of 2023. LaManna’s most recent outing came in March, a second-round stoppage over Noe Alejandro Lopez in Philadelphia. LaManna has fought three times since Charlo was last in the ring.

“I definitely have the momentum over Charlo,” LaManna said. “But we have to let the fights happen. We’re gonna find out on May 31.

“We had a smart camp and did what we had to do. We had the right sparring and worked on the right tactics. I’m in shape and I’ve filled into 168 well. … I felt the difference fighting at 168 in my last fight. I feel energized and don’t have to cut weight.”

Despite a tumultuous first digital press conference, in which Charlo derided LaManna as a “bum” in a heated tirade, LaManna says he still has compassion for his opponent. Charlo, a 35-year-old from Houston, has been open about his diagnosis with bipolar disorder and substance abuse issues, which have limited his in-ring appearances in recent years.

LaManna acknowledges these mental health struggles, but he says he still has a job to do.

“Being a good person, I care about Charlo’s mental health struggles and know that it’s real,” LaManna said. “But as far as boxing, I don’t care about it at all. It is what it is. We’re still gonna fight.”

A win over Charlo will go a long way towards validating LaManna as a legitimate contender and could open up big fight opportunities at 168lbs. While LaManna acknowledges that, he knows none of that talk matters if he can’t deliver on May 31.

“I’m not looking ahead to anything,” he said. “I’m fully focused on this fight. But when I get past Charlo, I want it all. I want the biggest fights out there.”

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.