Jermall Charlo (34-0, 23 KOs) looked powerful in his ring return, scoring a sixth-round TKO win over journeyman Thomas LaManna (39-6-1, 18 KOs) in his tune-up fight on Saturday night at super middleweight at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The punching power of Charlo was as good as always.
Charlo stalked LaManna around the ring, hitting him with jabs and right hands. In the third, Jermall dropped him with a slubbing shot on the side of the head. In rounds four and five, Charlo knocked LaManna down with hard right hands.
In the final seconds of the fifth, Jermall staggered Thomas with a stiff jab. After the round ended, LaManna looked on with weak legs, walking back to his corner. At the start of the sixth round, the ringside doctor advised that the fight be stopped.
Back in the ring after nearly three years, Charlo looked lean, loose, and locked in. He jabbed like a machine, dropping 44 of them with textbook precision. The right hand followed like clockwork. LaManna didn’t have the tools, the answers, or the reflexes to survive long once Charlo dialed in.
Charlo said afterward, “It feels good to be back. I’m thankful to everyone who stood by me… You gotta go through things to get better. My timing was there. I felt good.”
Jab-heavy assault sets up target practice
Charlo didn’t rush. He stalked. He jabbed LaManna’s face off in round one, then kept the pressure mounting with sharp combinations. In round three, he landed a clean straight right that set up a left hook — down goes LaManna. First knockdown of the night.
Round four? More of the same. This time, a left hook buckled LaManna to a knee. Ref Mark Nelson bizarrely waved off the knockdown call, but after video review between rounds, it was overturned. Second knockdown on the board.
In round five, Charlo sealed the deal. A vicious right hand detonated on LaManna’s jaw. Third knockdown. The writing was on the wall.
LaManna dragged himself to the bell, but he was clearly done. The doctor stepped in, and Charlo had his comeback win — no ring rust, no doubts, just domination.
A message from the darkness: Charlo’s words hit different
Post-fight, Charlo didn’t hide from the personal struggles that kept him away. He said, “No more dark places… keep my head straight. Keep God first.” That wasn’t a rehearsed cliché — that was a fighter who’s been through the fire and walked back out.
It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement.
LaManna, to his credit, kept it real: “I did the best I could. I’m disappointed, but it’s boxing… Charlo was sharper than I expected. Heavy jab, stayed composed. He’s a two-time world champion for a reason.”
The fight didn’t need a title on the line — it was all about Charlo showing he’s still a threat at 168. And if that version of Charlo shows up again? The super middleweight division better wake up.
