Jermall Charlo’s checkered career has been put on hold once again. (photo by Ryan Hafey)

The Ring has learned that the former WBC middleweight champion’s long-discussed return to the ring has been delayed indefinitely due to Charlo’s inconsistent appearances at trainer Ronnie Shields’ gym in Stafford, Texas. Charlo, 34, was expected to begin training camp early this month for a super middleweight match against Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna on the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach undercard March 1 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The mercurial Charlo’s fight with LaManna, who would’ve been a huge underdog, was designed to enable him to get a win on his record and move toward a more meaningful fight later this year.

Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs) hasn’t boxed since he unanimously out-pointed Jose Benavidez Jr. on the David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade undercard in November 2023 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas. An undisciplined Charlo came in 3½ pounds over the contracted catch weight of 163 pounds, but Benavidez (28-3-1, 19 KOs) went forward with their 10-round super middleweight bout because he felt he could overcome that weight disadvantage versus an inactive, unfocused fighter.

Charlo comfortably won their fight on all three scorecards (100-90, 99-91, 98-92), but the former IBF junior middleweight champ has taken another extended break from boxing.

He was supposed to meet LaManna (38-5-1, 17 KOs), of Millville, New Jersey, on the Davis-Roach undercard when it initially was scheduled for December 14 at Toyota Center in Charlo’s hometown of Houston. Charlo, who has been open about his mental health struggles, has boxed only once in the past 3½ years.

LaManna, 33, has won eight straight fights since Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) knocked him out in the first round of their May 2021 fight for the Cuban southpaw’s WBA middleweight title at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. He is not expected to compete on the Davis-Roach undercard now that Charlo’s return has been postponed.

Baltimore’s Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) is scheduled to defend his WBA lightweight title against Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs), of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in the 12-round main event of a Premier Boxing Champions’ pay-per-view show distributed by Amazon’s Prime Video. The undercard will include a 12-round, 140-pound champ championship clash in which Jose Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs), a Mexican southpaw who resides in Renton, Washington, will defend his WBA super lightweight crown against Gary Antuanne Russell (17-1, 17 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympian from Capitol Heights, Maryland.