Thomas LaManna drops Saul Roman en route to decision win in Atlantic City

After a year layoff, Millville, New Jersey's Thomas "Cornflake" LaManna (32-5-1, 13 KOs returned to the ring scoring a unanimous decision (2x 77-74, 78-73) over tough veteran Saul Roman (46-15, 38 KOs) in the Main Event of Rising Star Promotion’s Boardwalk Boxing held at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. Saturday night.

Shaking off ring rust and the longest layoff of his career, LaManna delivered a solid overall performance and hurt Roman in the sixth after landing a flurry of punches and dropping the veteran.

"I'm just glad to finally be back, it's been a long time and I didn't really believe that I will ever fight again after Lara fight. Depression and Mental Health is real, I feel for all the fighters and people in general who battle it. In due time I'll be back where I belong and show the world that I can be a world champion."

The former world title challenger will remain busy, looking to fight twice more before years end, moving down to 160-pounds in the process.

Emmanuel “Salserito” Rodriguez (12-0, 6 KOs) of Newark, N.J. captured the WBO Latino Bantamweight Latino Championship in impressive fashion by securing a TKO win over Frank "El Castigador" Gonzalez (9-3, 4KOs) of Miami, Fla. in the evening’s co-main event. The offensive-minded Rodriguez dropped Gonzalez twice in the second before stopping him in the fourth to capture the 118-lb title.

Before a vocal hometown crowd, Justin “Time” Figueroa wasted little time by overwhelming and ultimately dropping Tavaris Smith with RD1 KO (1:34) to earn his first pro win.

The four undefeated prospects on the card remained undefeated with Avon Griffin, Jose Nieves, Kurt Scoby, and Anthony Johns posting victories. Derrick Vann earned a split decision upset over Paul Bamba.