NEWARK, N.J. (April 24, 2025) —Rising middleweights Jahi Tucker and Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson have been throwing haymakers online.
Following an extended social media exchange that included conflicting tales of a recent sparring session, the keyboard back-and-forth will soon be settled in the ring.
The Brooklyn-born Tucker and Baltimore native Simpson will face off in a 10-round special attraction on Saturday, June 21, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Tucker vs. Simpson joins a loaded bill headlined by Garden State middleweight star Vito Mielnicki Jr. against Kamil Gardzielik and a heavyweight co-feature between unbeaten Polish contenders Damian Knyba and Marcin Siwy.
Mielnicki-Gardzielik, Knyba-Siwy, Tucker-Simpson, and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Rising Star Promotions, tickets are ON SALE NOW via Ticketmaster.com.
“This man is telling everyone that he dropped me in sparring. That never happened. I beat him around the ring, and I’m going to do it again, for real this time, on June 21,” Tucker said. “Truck talked his way into this fight, and I’m going to beat him down for however long it lasts.”
“I’m glad that he finally took the fight,” Simpson said. “He spoke on me. I’ve been going through many things, but I’m focused now. A lot of fighters try to paint this tough narrative, but at the end of the day, we have to fight. This will be a great clash of styles, and I think we can steal the show.”
Tucker (14-1-1, 6 KOs), a Brooklyn-born phenom who moved to Long Island as a teenager, turned pro with Top Rank at the age of 17. Following a December 2023 draw against Argentine Olympian Francisco Daniel Veron, Tucker has won four consecutive bouts, including an eighth-round stoppage over Stockton-born veteran Quilisto Madera last November. He made his 2025 debut on April 5, dropping former British champion Troy Williamson twice en route to a 10-round unanimous decision win.
Simpson turned pro in 2018 following a decorated amateur career that included a slew of Youth National Championships gold medals, a Pan American Youth Championships silver medal, and six National Silver Gloves titles. Simpson jumped out to a 13-0 record before losing a majority decision to noted spoiler Vladimir Hernandez in August 2023. Following a contested split decision defeat to Raiko Santana last June, he returned to action in February at Prudential Center, turning aside Trevon Smith in the opening round.
