Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson is committed to rejuvenating his career in 2024 with a new promoter and on a new platform.
The 23-year-old middleweight from Baltimore informed BoxingScene.com that he has signed with Vito Mielnicki’s GH3 Promotions, which is aligned with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions. PBC will start streaming fights on Amazon Prime sometime in March as part of an agreement announced last month.
Simpson (13-1, 7 KOs) has fought on several PBC cards since he made his pro debut in December 2018. He is eager to return to the ring following his first professional loss – an eight-round, majority-decision defeat to Mexican veteran Vladimir Hernandez (14-6, 6 KOs) on August 25 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.
“I feel like I needed a structure change, some great decision-making and most of all, they’re like family,” Simpson said. “Vito was there probably since before I won my first national [tournament], maybe even before that, like 9 years old. Most importantly, I felt like it’s family. It’s a trust thing in a sport where it’s hard to trust people.”
The left-handed Simpson feels inactivity has hurt him during the developmental phase of his career. He has boxed just three times since November 2021, thus Simpson hopes to compete much more frequently on PBC undercards now that he is exclusively aligned with Haymon’s PBC, which needs an infusion of youthful talent to its expansive roster.
“I want to be very active in 2024, get a lot of experience and knockouts in the ring,” said Simpson, who has been trained by the same team that guided Gervonta “Tank” Davis to superstardom. “I think that’s the thing that has hurt me, the lack of activity. Two fights a year, missing too much time.”
Simpson intends to apply the lessons learned before and during his loss to Hernandez once he resumes his career. His loss to Hernandez was streamed by DAZN as part of its OTX series, which mostly featured prospects in challenging fights.
“I just learned about putting yourself in certain situations and fighting different fights,” Simpson said. “But I learned a lot. It was tough. [Hernandez is] a tough competitor. He’s someone I felt I could beat, but it was definitely a learning experience.”
Mielnicki has proven he knows how to rebuild a promising prospect after he suffers a defeat. His son, 21-year-old junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. (17-1, 12 KOs), has demonstrated improvement during a nine-fight winning streak since Philadelphia’s James Martin (10-4-1, 0 KOs) upset him by majority decision in an eight-rounder that took place in April 2021 at Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
“We’re getting ready to move [Simpson],” the elder Mielnicki said. “He’ll be moved with Al on the platform. I think he needed a solid base. I’ve known him since he was a kid. I put him with a sports agent to get him sponsorships and endorsements. But I think now he has to settle down, believe in his team and worry about training. … He’s special. He always was special in the amateurs and as he grew, he stood out. He’s won at every level and dominated. And in order to dominate, you can’t play boxing. You have to live it. That’s what I’ve talked to him about.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.