PBC on Prime boxing: Biggest storylines to watch for as Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo return to the ring

A pair of the biggest names to compete for Premier Boxing Champions over the last decade will square off in separate bouts on Saturday with a future showdown at 168 pounds at stake for the winners later this year.

Former 168-pound titleholder Caleb Plant (23-2, 14 KOs) will headline Saturday’s PBC card (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video) in a 12-round bout against the hard-charging Armando Resendiz (15-2, 11 KOs). In the co-feature, former two-division champion Jermall Charlo returns from a two-year layoff when he welcomes veteran Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna (39-5-1, 18 KOs) in a 10-round bout. 

As we draw closer to the event, which will emanate from Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, let’s take a look at the biggest storylines associated with the card.

1. Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo are clearly on a collision course to fight

That appears to be the reason this entire card was made in the matter that it was and it all stems back to a 2023 altercation in the bowels of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas after the Terence Crawford-Errol Spence Jr. weigh-in. Charlo taunted Plant by twice pulling on his beard, which led to Plant open-hand slapping Charlo in an incident that was caught on camera. Plant, who has been tested many times outside the ring by future opponents (including a 2021 press conference fight against Canelo Alvarez), instantly added the previously inactive Charlo to his hit list. If both fighters win their 168-pound contests on Saturday (now that Charlo has officially moved up to super middleweight) there is already a plan in place for the two of them to share the ring for their next fight.  

2. Plant’s stock and reputation have been rising rapidly

As a former champion who regularly looks to match himself against the toughest tests in the division, the 32-year-old Plant has long been respected as a tough and slick boxer. But it’s the way he has handled himself in the face of adversity — both in and out of the ring — that has helped in recent years to only boost both his profile and the reputation he holds among everyone from hard-core fans to his peers in the sweet science. Plant’s lone career defeats were a big part of that as, despite the fact that he was stopped in Round 11 by Alvarez in their 2021 undisputed title clash, Plant was praised for the intensity and confidence he brought with him into the ring. The same could be said about his 2023 pay-per-view loss to unbeaten David Benavidez where Plant wasn’t afraid to push the buttons of his more dangerous opponent throughout the build before showing incredible will and durability to finish the bout on his feet. Plant, a family man who is expecting his second child in June with his wife, PBC announcer Jordan Plant, never backs down from the disrespect shown by others, whether it was the beard pulling by Charlo or the comments Ryan Garcia made about Plant’s wife last year that led to a June brawl in the crowd after Gervonta Davis’ knockout of Frank Martin in Las Vegas. Plant has also shown bravery and humility in how he publicly handled both the loss of his infant Alia in 2015 or the 2019 death of his mother, Beth, following a tense standoff with police. Plant, who grew up in poverty in rural Tennessee, is a fighter’s fighter who demands respect.

3. Charlo has plenty of questions to answer in the ring following long layoff

Even though his glossy record and status as a two-division champion demands respect, it has been nearly five years since the 35-year-old Charlo has found himself in a big fight. Ever since he co-headlined a 2020 Showtime PPV alongside his brother, former undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo, the elder Charlo twin has been anything but active. Charlo struggled in going the distance against journeyman Juan Macias Montiel in a 2021 voluntary title defense before sitting out more than two years following a messy divorce and mental health challenges. The aftermath saw Charlo get skipped over for a 2023 PPV clash against Alvarez in favor of his brother. And even though Charlo returned at the end of 2023 to outpoint the much smaller Jose Benavidez Jr., he would then endure another 18-month layoff. Charlo has appeared on edge in many of the interviews and press conferences heading into this weekend’s matchup against LaManna, where Charlo remains a heavy betting favorite despite his time away. But all eyes will be on everything from his timing to how quickly he can shake off ring rust now that such a huge opportunity against Plant might await him with a win. 

4. LaManna is looking to author a real-life “Rocky” story against Charlo

As a respected journeyman with five career defeats, the 33-year-old LaManna has shared the ring with a handful of recognized names over his 14-year career, including Antoine Douglas, Dusty Hernandez-Harrison, Jorge Cota and Brian Mendoza. The problem, of course, is that he has suffered a defeat against all of them each time he has stepped up in class. The highest-profile opponent LaManna has faced was also his most recent in 2021 when he was knocked out by middleweight titleholder Erislandy Lara with the first clean left hand Lara landed just 80 seconds into the fight. The embarrassing loss saw LaManna blow up in weight and declare he was finished with boxing while removing himself from the public eye. But the unassuming fighter nicknamed “Cornflake,” with the thick black eyeglasses to match outside the ring, ultimately chose to give it one more try. What followed was a nine-fight win streak, although mostly on the regional level, with six knockouts for the New Jersey native, who has built a side career as a boxing promoter in his home state. LaManna, who has called the Charlo fight his “last shot” to make something big of himself as a professional, said he took no shortcuts throughout the winning streak and enters the fight in the best shape of his career. Even though LaManna has largely campaigned as a junior welterweight and middleweight, he enters the Charlo clash hoping to rely on his experience to pull an upset that very few could see coming. 

5. Cuban prospect Yoenli Hernandez takes big step up in class

At just 27 and unbeaten in seven pro fights, Hernandez has quickly made a name for himself as a middleweight prospect on the rise. On Saturday, he will test himself against a tough Kyrone Davis who, himself, has evolved from unknown to legitimate title contender in recent years. Not only did Davis, who is trained by the respected Stephen “Breadman” Edwards, put his name on the map in a disputed draw (most felt Davis had won) at 168 pounds against former champion Anthony Dirrell in 2021, he scored his biggest win to date last June when he handed the first defeat to unbeaten prospect Elijah Garcia. Davis (19-3-1, 6 KOs), who already believes he has been passed over multiple times for a title shot, knows he will no longer be denied if he can get past Hernandez. Expect that to be anything but easy, however. Hernandez (7-0, 7 KOs), at 6-foot-2, is an exciting boxer/puncher who firmly represents the new school of Cuban fighters who put their foot on the gas and don’t attempt to leave things up to the judges. Expect fireworks in this one as the winner has an opportunity to announce themselves in a shallow 160-pound division.