Manfredo, who is 30-5 (15 KOs) and 18th in the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings, is coming off back-to-back TKOs of Shane Benfield (a six-rounder on March 14 at Twin River) and Luis Lopez (a three-rounder on May 3 in Idaho) and feels like he’s been displaying some of his best boxing these days.      
“I’m on the top of my game right now,” Manfredo said at Wednesday afternoon’s press conference at Twin River’s “Catch A Rising Star” club. “I’m extremely sharp and I’m in good shape. I’m working with these young killers in my father’s gym and I feel really good. I’m as sharp as a tack, and anyone that stands in my way right now is just going to get taken out of there.”
The last time “The Pride of Providence” was seen with a championship belt was on May 14, 2004 when he defended his North American Boxing Organization (NABO) junior middleweight title with a convincing 12-round unanimous-decision victory over Anthony Bonsante at the Rhode Island Convention Center.
A month later, NBC’s “The Contender” reality TV show came calling for Manfredo, who relinquished his NABO belt and spent the next three months in Pasadena, Calif. dueling 15 middleweight boxers for the $1 million prize. Manfredo went .500 (3-3) on the show and ended up losing in the title bout (and rematch) to Sergio Mora the following year.
In 2006, he moved up to the super middleweight ranks and posted a pair of third-round TKOs over New Bedford’s Scott Pemberton and crosstown rival Joey “K.O. Kid” Spina at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
His next fight was for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title against unbeaten Joe Calzaghe on April 7 of last year, but he suffered a third-round TKO that many fight fans thought was prematurely stopped.
Manfredo finished the year with a .500 mark (2-2) that included a disappointing 10-round unanimous decision defeat on Dec. 8 to Jeff Lacy (22-1) in Las Vegas that saw Manfredo shine in the first three rounds, but not do much after that. 
“Last year was just a bad year for me, but I’m turning it all around,” remarked Manfredo. “This is my last run and I’m just ready. I’m going all the way to the top and this (fight) is a stepping stone.”
Manfredo is quite familiar with McCrary, who is 24-7-2 (13 KOs), rated 13th in the North American Boxing Association (NABA), and participated on ESPN’s “The Contender III” show, where he lost his first fight to Sakio Bika, the eventual champion.
“He’s just a tough kid,” said Manfredo, who had McCrary as a sparring partner before his fight with Lacy. “You have to be on top of your game, you have to be in good shape, and you just have to be ready because he comes to fight. This guy’s no joke.”
While McCrary has never won a title, losing his only title shot in April, 2005 to Lucian Bute for the NABA belt, Manfredo is seeking his third, and like his first championship, the International Boxing Union (IBU) junior middleweight title in Oct. 2002, it’s been a while since he’s hoisted a belt over his head.
“It’s been a long time,” said Manfredo. “I’m going in there with guns blazing. I’m going to try to set him up, get him out of there early, and become the NABF champion and then we’re going to move forward. We’re going to get that world title.”
Two other super middleweight fights on the card are six-round duels pitting Spina (22-1-1, 15 KOs) against Las Vegas native Jim “Steel Chin” Strohl (27-6, 21 KOs) and Angel Camacho Jr. (10-0, 4 KOs) fighting Ariel Espinal (6-3-2, 2 KOs) of Brooklyn, N.Y. via the Dominican Republic.
Spina, a former WBC USNBC (U.S. National Boxing Council) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Intercontinental champion, is ranked 13th in the IBF and looking to put forth a dominant showing over McCrary, a 36-year-old former heavyweight who won the International Boxing Council (IBC) Americans title in 1998.
Manfredo Jr. will also be joined on the card by two of his Manfredo’s Gym stablemates, middleweight sensation Edwin Rodriguez of Worcester, Mass. and junior middleweight Jesus Caro of Providence.
Rodriguez, a two-time U.S. National amateur champion, turned pro in mid-January and rattled off seven straight victories in a five-month span that included five knockouts and an impressive six-round unanimous-decision victory in his last fight on June 28 in Boston over Hector Hernandez (10-2-2). He will fight Marcus Upshaw (8-2) of Jacksonville, Fla.
Caro turned pro in the spring and won his debut on May 17 with an opening-round TKO of Levaniel King in Dorchester, Mass.
Another fight on the undercard is a six-round light heavyweight battle between Richard “Bobo The Bull” Starnino (9-4-1, 2 KOs) of Providence and “Irish” Joey McCreedy (8-2, 5 KOs) of Lowell, Mass.
CES’s newest female addition, former world featherweight title challenger Sandy “Lil’ Tyson” Tasgouris (7-1, 3 KOs) of Toronto, and junior light welterweight Omar Pena of Providence, who will make his pro debut, are also on the undercard.           
Tickets are on sale and priced at $40, $50, $75, $100, and $150 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club), and can be purchased by calling CES (724-2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing or www.twinriver.com, or visiting the Twin River Events Center or Players Club Booth and any TicketMaster location.
The doors open at 6 p.m. and the opening bout is slated for 7 p.m. Twin River has also waived its 18+ rule for the show, and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all times by an adult and must enter the Events Center through the west entrance.