NEWARK, New Jersey — Lorenzo Simpson thought he was done with boxing last summer.

Once a promising prospect promoted as Baltimore, Maryland's next Gervonta Davis, Simpson suffered his second defeat as a professional on June 28. His split-decision loss to Raiko Santana was unforeseen, compounded problems he dealt with outside of the ring and left the gifted fighter nicknamed “Truck” convinced this sport wasn’t worth the heartache and aggravation.

Disagreements with his longtime trainer and father figure, Calvin Ford, and Davis, the superstar he considers his big brother, left him feeling isolated. Simpson needed those closest to him because his paternal grandparents, Lorenzo and Margo Simpson, died in 2020, the same year his uncle, Joshua Carroll, was murdered in Baltimore.

Defeats to fighters with four losses (Santana) and five losses (Vladimir Hernandez) also discouraged Simpson, who thought he would be fighting for seven-figure purses by now.

“It came to the point where I was just done,” Simpson told The Ring. “I ain’t love it. I was just getting money out of it. I was just [wasting time]. I was done with it, for real.”

Ford eventually encouraged Simpson to join his friend, Vito Mielnicki, in Stafford, Texas, where he works with respected veteran trainer Ronnie Shields. Spending time around contenders and champions in Shields’ gym, as well as talking boxing and life with Shields, motivated Simpson to continue his career.

The 25-year-old middleweight fought Feb. 1, when he stopped overmatched Trevon Smith after the first round at Prudential Center in Newark. That bout was technically contested in the cruiserweight division because Simpson took it on such short notice.

The fight he hopes really rejuvenates his career is scheduled for Saturday night at Prudential Center. Simpson (15-2, 9 KOs) and New York’s Jahi Tucker (14-1-1, 6 KOs) will square off in a 10-round, 160-pound bout on the Mielnicki-Kamil Gardzielik undercard, which ESPN+ will start streaming at 5:30 p.m. ET.

“I expect to put on a performance that everybody expects of me,” Simpson said. “People know who’s good and what’s what, but I was just dealing with life. I have no excuse. It’s hard dealing with life sometimes and trying to find that balance. But I’m coming to perform. I feel the love back. This is what I wanna do. I feel good. I had a good camp, so I should perform to my standards.”

The skilled, strong southpaw feels he is still young enough to start living up to the potential he displayed as an amateur.

Simpson is more mature after taking those two losses. He finally realizes he can’t spend entire training camps attempting to shed 30 or 40 pounds simply to make weight.

Mielnicki (20-1-1, 12 KOs), whose father, Vito Sr., manages Simpson, hopes his fight with Tucker turns around a career most boxing insiders expected to unfold far differently than what it became by last summer.

“I’ve been around talented guys my whole life,” Mielnicki Jr. said. “That kid in the gym, if you came and watched him spar, he’s a superstar. He has all the potential to be a superstar. … He’s got the whole package. He was the guy in the amateurs. There was a time where I don’t think he lost for like 10 years. He was that guy.

“It sucks to see how his career has gone so far, just because I know his potential. That’s why I’m excited to see him put on a show and show the world what he’s really capable of. I feel like this is where Truck is gonna turn the eyes of all the public back on him.”

Simpson intends to stay in the gym and remain as active as possible after facing Tucker. He hopes a victory over Tucker, who has won four straight fights since last June, will place him on a path to becoming a credible contender by the second half of 2026.

“I’ve got the love back,” Simpson said. “I’m talking back to Calvin, talking to Tank, back with my family, telling them how I want them to participate more, stuff like that — just growing up. I been doing this since I was 6 years old. It’s all I really know how to do. So, it’s like I’ve gotta be who Imma be with it or be done with it completely and figure out what else Imma do.”