The question isn’t whether Thomas ‘Cornflake’ LaManna is ready for primetime if called upon, but if primetime is prepared for Cornflake.
BoxingScene.com has learned that the charismatic junior middleweight has been designated as the official replacement opponent in the event his services are needed for this weekend’s Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox headlining bout (Saturday, FOX, 8:00pm ET). The show is topped by Cuban southpaw Erislandy Lara in the first defense of his secondary 154-pound title as he faces Massachusetts’ Greg Vendetti (22-3-1, 10KOs) live from Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California.
LaManna (28-3-1, 10KOs) will be advanced to the main event if there is a situation that forces either Lara or Vendetti off of the card. For now, the Millville, New Jersey product is due to face Brian Mendoza (18-1, 13KOs) atop the preceding PBC on FS1 telecast, which begins at 6:00pm ET/3:00pm PT.
PBC has assigned a standby opponent for each of its first five cards—including this weekend’s offering—since returning from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. To date, a change was required just once—the very first card, when Tramaine Williams replaced Stephen Fulton (who tested positive for COVID-19) in a junior featherweight title fight versus Angelo Leo atop the August 1 edition of Showtime Championship Boxing.
Leo won the fight by unanimous decision to claim a vacant 122-pound title.
The likes of Mykal and Alantez Fox (on stand-by for August 8 Fox prime and August 15 Showtime, respectively) and Justin DeLoach (August 22 Fox prime) all fought on their assigned shows against the regularly scheduled opponents as each main event remained intact.
LaManna’s appeal in being able to jump in at a moment’s notice—aside from his very existence demanding nationwide attention—is that he is eligible to fight for at least one of the alphabet titles at stake in the main event. Lara holds the World Boxing Association (WBA) “Regular” junior middleweight title, as he defends against the 11th-ranked Vendetti. LaManna currently holds the number-13 spot in the 154-pound set; Mendoza is unranked by the sanctioning body.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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