Jermall Charlo vs Thomas Lamanna Predictions: Can ‘Hitman’ recapture his old magic in Vegas?

Unbeaten former two-weight world champion Jermall Charlo makes yet another comeback this Saturday, May 31 as he takes on Thomas Lamanna. The bout takes place at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Prime Video is showing the event, which also features the return of WBA interim super middleweight champion Caleb Plant.

Here are my Jermall Charlo vs Thomas Lamanna predictions ahead of this upcoming contest.

 Jermall Charlo vs Thomas Lamanna Odds

Charlo is 1/20 to get the job done on Saturday. Lamanna is your 8/1 underdog. If you think this one is going to a draw then 20/1 is your price.

Jermall Charlo vs Thomas Lamanna Fight Preview

Boxing is a cruel place even for the most gifted. A litany of struggles have resulted in Charlo boxing just once since his successful WBC middleweight title defence against Juan Macias Montiel in 2021. 

A fight with Jaime Munguia fell through at the negotiating table. One with Maciej Sulecki was nixed due to Charlo suffering a back injury two weeks before. The complaint kept Charlo on the shelf, with “personal issues” later mentioned alongside the ailment as his absence grew ever longer. 

There was talk of a fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, who would later box his twin brother Jermell instead. At this point, Charlo opened up about his mental health struggles and said he did not want to fight until he felt 100% safe to do so in the wake of those issues. 

Charlo finally returned in November 2023, beating Jose Benavidez Jr. via unanimous decision in a non-title 10-rounder. But just when it looked like ‘Hitman’ was back on an even-keel, he was arrested for DWI and two further misdemeanours. To add to Charlo’s woes the WBC finally stripped him of the middleweight championship, having flouted their own rules and kept him as champion despite a two-year lack of defences.

Now 35, it feels like a cosmic joke that Charlo once boxed under the nickname ‘The Future of Boxing’. The Louisiana stylist has endured battles with his demons that were more taxing than anything wrought upon him in a boxing ring.

It is easy to forget the ability he showed in his fights. Charlo held the IBF super welterweight strap as well as the WBC middleweight crown. He is yet to be beaten in a professional ring. ‘Hitman’ has beaten the likes of Cornelius Bundrage, Austin Trout, Julian Williams and Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Mere months after Dennis Hogan had taken then-WBO king Munguia to the wire in a majority decision loss, Charlo whooped the Irishman in seven rounds. He was a special fighter.

It is useless to mourn what we could have seen from Charlo in his wilderness years. Mental health is thankfully a more illuminated issue now and Jermall’s plight has been treated with some sympathy in boxing circles. But now he is back, Charlo will be judged on his performances inside the squared circle.

Lamanna is the sort of fighter that usually gets these assignments. Not a journeyman by any stretch. But a fighter who has lost to every big name he has fought, while defeating fading names from the past.

Former 154lb king Brian Mendoza beat Lamanna by unanimous decision. Current WBA middleweight boss Erislandy Lara knocked him out in a single round. Lamanna’s biggest wins came over Mike Arnaoutis, who challenged for the WBO super lightweight title way back in 2006, and perennial gatekeeper Juan Carlos Abreu.

On paper, Charlo is in a different stratosphere. But, for the second time in succession, we are talking about Charlo coming off a year-and-a-half lay-off for a fight. In November 2023, he got away with it. The two-time world champion dominated Benavidez Jr. But boxing is a terrible place to get old. One wonders if, at 35, another 18 months on the shelf can really be waved away with a few well-picked punches.  

Jermall Charlo vs Thomas Lamanna Full Card

Caleb Plant vs. Jose Armando Resendiz

Jermall Charlo vs. Thomas LaManna

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Jermall Charlo vs Thomas Lamanna Predictions

The real kicker here is Charlo’s time out of the ring. Lamanna has boxed three times since his opponent’s last outing. Will that battle-freshness play a part?

Lamanna might not be a world-beater per se, but the WBA have seen fit to rank him in their top-15. He is not a fighter coming to lay down for the big star. ‘Cornflake’ has ambitions of his own.

But when it comes to the crunch, I think Charlo takes this unless age really has depleted his reserves. I like the ‘Hitman’ to do this on points at 13/10.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.