When super middleweight Lorenzo Simpson turned pro in December 2018, he seemed destined for stardom. A promising amateur who trained with Calvin Ford, he was seen as a possible next breakout star after Gervonta Davis. However, after parting ways with Ford, Simpson has become rather anonymous, even taking a shocking loss to veteran Vladimir Hernandez last August.
Simpson now looks to extend his win streak to two at his new weight class after his lone career defeat when he faces Raiko Santana in the main event of OTX8 on Friday (June 28) in Atlanta, beginning a new phase of his career – a rebuild that many didn’t anticipate.
Simpson (14-1, 8 KOs), 24, now trains with Ronnie Shields and is falling back in love with the sport. He had been dealing with grief from losses suffered outside the ring. This emotional hardship led to his first and only professional defeat.
“I’m not gonna lie that life has been challenging,” said Simpson, who goes by the nickname “Truck.” “I’ve lost family and friends over the past few years, and I’m just trying to work through it. I’ve been making my way back to the gym, back to my love of boxing, and I’m excited to get back into the ring.”
The silver-lining is that Hernandez has since beaten another promising contender, Guido Schramm, on ProBox TV scoring a Knockout of the Year contender. Was it a case of too much, too soon? That remains to be seen, but Simpson’s loss wasn’t to a run-of-the-mill fighter. Reflecting on defeat to Hernandez, Simpson said, “I lost, but I take it as a good experience. I faced adversity and got to see who I really was against him. I’m definitely interested in a rematch if they can come to a weight agreement.”
His opponent, Santana (10-4, 6 KOs), 31, a Cuban boxer who now resides in El Paso, Texas, has several of Hernandez’s traits. In his last bout, he dropped Daniel Blancas in the first round but lost a unanimous decision. He also fought Lester Martinez to a close unanimous decision loss. This will be Simpson’s second fight at super middleweight after a career at middleweight – a factor that could influence the match. Simpson is eager at the prospect of the fight and where it positions him in the division.
“I’m excited for my upcoming fight and feel that I’m in a good position right now,” said Simpson.
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