Super middleweight Lorenzo Simpson seemed destined for stardom when he turned pro in December 2018. A promising amateur who trained under Calvin Ford, he was tipped to be the next big thing after Gervonta Davis, but after parting ways with Ford, Simpson faded into relative obscurity before suffering a shock loss to veteran Vladimir Hernandez last August.
When Simpson faces Raiko Santana in the main event of OTX8 on Friday (June 28) in Atlanta, he will be looking to extend his winning streak in his new weight class to two after the only loss of his career, beginning a new phase of a career rebuild that many did not expect.
The 24-year-old Simpson (14-1, 8 KOs) is currently training with Ronnie Shields and is finding his love for the sport again. He has been dealing with the pain of losses outside of the ring, the mental struggles that led to his first and only professional defeat.
“I'm not going to lie, life has been hard,” said Simpson, who is known by the nickname “Truck.” “I've lost family and friends over the past few years and I'm just trying to get over it. I'm back in the gym, I've got my love for boxing back and I'm looking forward to getting back in the ring.”
Fortunately, Hernandez then went on to win the Knockout of the Year award on Probox TV, defeating another promising challenger, Guido Schramm. Was this a result that came too soon? That remains to be seen, but Simpson's loss was not against a mediocre fighter. Reflecting on his loss to Hernandez, Simpson said, “Even though I lost, it was a good experience. I was able to face adversity and find out who I really am by fighting him. I would definitely be interested in a rematch if they could come to an agreement on weight.”
His opponent, Santana (10-4, 6 KOs), is a 31-year-old Cuban boxer currently residing in El Paso, Texas, who has many of the traits of Hernandez. In his last fight, Santana stopped Daniel Blancas in the first round but lost a unanimous decision. He also lost a close unanimous decision to Lester Martinez. This will be Simpson's second fight at super middleweight after a career middleweight career, which could have an impact on the fight. Simpson is excited about the prospect and where he stands in the division.
“I'm excited for the next game and I feel like I'm in a good spot right now,” Simpson said.
