Jermall Charlo told Caleb Plant today that he wants to fight him next after he gets past his comeback opponent, Thomas LaManna, on the May 31st card at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
The former two-division world champion Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) will be suing LaManna (39-5-1, 18 KOs) as a tune-up to get the ring-rust off from two years of inactivity. If he’s victorious, he could face ‘Sweethands’ Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) next. The WBA interim 168-lb champion Plant, 32, is fighting Jose Armando Resendiz (15-2, 11 KOs) in the 12-round headliner on PBC on Prime Video.
Plant Next Up?
Plant hopes to earn a rematch with undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez after being knocked out by him in the 11th round in November 2021. Since that fight, Plant has gone 2-1, losing to David Benavidez and beating Trevor McCumby and Anthony Dirrell.
Fans on social media believe the sole reason for the 34-year-old Jermall Charlo coming back is that he smells money. He wants to get some of that Canelo dough to get a sweet $10 million payday like the one that Edgar Berlanga got last September and Plant’s $10 million in 2021.
There’s a slight possibility that Plant or Jermall could lose their fights on May 31st, because neither of them are anywhere near elite-level. They’ve been given what appears to be soft opponents, but they’re in their 30s now and have mileage on them.
Plant was dropped in his last fight by the unheralded Trevor McCumby. Jermell has struggled in his last two fights against Jose Benavidez Jr. and Juan Macias Montiel.
“It’s been a journey and a long time coming. I don’t like to keep saying that I’m back, but y’all get it. You get the concept,” said Jermal Charlo during today’s Los Angeles press conference to promote his fight against Thomas LaManna on May 31st. “I’m going to 168 to make a statement.
“Thank you, Thomas [LaManna] for taking the fight. I’ve been focused, I’ve been locked in. I want to get this fight out of the way and possibly get it on with Caleb Plant if that’s possible. I’ve got some big plans on the works.”
Return to the Ring
People wonder why Jermall didn’t stay at 160, where he’s been for years, and challenge IBF and WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimknuly for his two belts. The answer to that is that Charlo would likely lose badly to Janibek by a knockout.
He’s been too inactive to stand a chance against the champion. That’s a guy that Jermall would have had major problems with even when he was younger and still active. Charlo is going up to 168 for one reason – money.
Last Updated on 05/07/2025
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