Charlo had been unranked entering the fight. LaManna was rated 11th. Depending on your cynicism, LaManna was either inserted into the super middleweight rankings a couple months back on the strength of a March victory over an 11-6-1 opponent, or because he had signed to face Charlo, and a win for Charlo over a ranked contender would help set up a desired grudge match with Plant.
