Thomas LaManna doesn’t think Jermall Charlo has underestimated him to the degree that the former WBC middleweight champion halfheartedly trained for their super middleweight fight Saturday night in Las Vegas.

LaManna doesn’t feel Charlo is taking him all that seriously, either. Charlo is a 12-1 favorite to defeat LaManna in what is viewed as a tune-up fight designed to secure a long-discussed showdown with rival Caleb Plant. He'll face another underdog, Armando Resendiz, in the 12-round main event Saturday night at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena.

“I’d like to think he respects me as a fighter,” LaManna told The Ring regarding Charlo. “But I know for a fact he doesn’t think I’m on his level, which is cool. He’s not the only person, right? I hope he’d think I could give him some issues, but there’s only one way to find out, and that’s when we fight.”

LaManna, 33, realizes it is incumbent upon him to change the boxing public’s perception of a fighter most known for his one-punch, first-round knockout loss to WBA middleweight champ Erislandy Lara four years ago. A left hand by the Cuban southpaw knocked LaManna flat on his back and abruptly ended their scheduled 12-rounder in May 2021 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

LaManna (39-5-1, 18 KOs), of Millville, New Jersey, has won nine fights in a row since Lara beat him. The caliber of opponents LaManna defeated during that winning streak clearly can’t compare to Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) or Charlo (33-0, 22 KOs), which has motivated him to capitalize on what will likely be his last high-profile opportunity if he doesn’t upset a former two-weight world champion coming off an 18-month layoff.

“I’ll be honest,” LaManna said, “and I’m not trying to sound like a prick – I don’t think people realize or understand how good I actually am or could be, because I’ve never displayed it. And that’s nobody’s fault. That’s my fault. Part of it is a little bit of awkwardness that I have. I think it’ll surprise him.

“Getting through the first couple rounds, getting warmed up, and then letting the fight play out how I need it to play out, which is being on the outside and all that, then I’ll have a bigger opportunity. Then I’ve got a good chance.”

LaManna will make his debut at the super middleweight limit, as will Charlo, in the third of four fights Amazon’s Prime Video will stream to its subscribers starting at 8 p.m. ET (1 a.m. BST). The huge underdog will still take a relaxed approach to their 10-round, 168-pound bout because there is a lot more at stake for Charlo, 35, who hasn’t fought since he unanimously outpointed Jose Benavidez Jr. (29-3-1, 20 KOs) in their 10-rounder in November 2023 at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

“I have no pressure on me,” LaManna said. “All the pressure is on him in the fight. He has to beat me to fight Caleb and get that seven-figure payday. He has to do that. Me, nobody believes I’m gonna win. And that’s OK. When I do, it’ll just be sweet.”