June 21: Jahi Tucker-Lorenzo Simpson
Middleweight Grudge Match
Added To Mielnicki Jr.- Gardzielik
Card At Prudential Center LIVE On ESPN+!
(April 24th) 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, Simpson-Townsel, 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 at 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, 15-2, 9Ko's, 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.
New Jersey-born middleweight phenom Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. is returning to Brick City.
The Roseland product will face unbeaten Polish-born, Queens-based contender Kamil Gardzielik in the 10-round main event for the vacant WBO Global, USWBC, and USBA titles on Saturday, June 21, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In the 10-round all-Polish heavyweight co-feature, Damian Knyba takes on fellow unbeaten Marcin Siwy.
Mielnicki (20-1-1, 12 KOs) turned pro on a Top Rank bill at Prudential Center in July 2019, drawing several thousand Garden State supporters to watch his devastating first-round stoppage of Tamarcus Smith. He’s fought at Prudential Center three times since, including main event knockouts over Nicholas DeLomba in 2021 and Salim Larbi in 2023. Mielnicki signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank in early 2024 and kept busy with three fights that year, extending his unbeaten streak to 13. Gardzielik (19-0, 4 KOs) will be fighting for the first time outside of Poland and looking to build off a 2024 campaign that saw him tally a pair of victories.
“I’m excited to come back to Prudential Center. My family, friends, and supporters from home will be there. Every time we fight at Prudential Center, it’s electric,” Mielnicki said. “I’ve knocked out all four of my opponents there, and I’m looking to make 5 for 5. I have Polish roots, and it will be a big night for the Polish community to support Damian and myself.”
Knyba (15-0, 9 KOs) is the latest Polish heavyweight hopeful, a proud lineage that includes Tomasz Adamek, who used to pack the Prudential Center earlier this century. He battled injuries throughout much of 2024, shaking off an 11-month layoff last November to stop Richard Lartey in three rounds. Knyba last fought in February at Prudential Center, knocking out former world title challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk in the main event. Siwy (25-0-1, 12 KOs) returns to the boxing ring for the first time since September 2022, but he has kept active as a mixed martial artist in Poland. His only boxing blemish is a draw to noted spoiler Kamil Sokolowski, and he now seeks to derail Knyba’s momentum.
Knyba said, “I am thrilled to fight again in my second home, the Prudential Center. My opponent has tremendous experience and an unbeaten record. I will be at my best on June 21 to take his ‘0’.”
The undercard will also showcase East Orange bantamweight Mannie Chance (1-0) in a four-rounder, Connecticut-born heavyweight Ali Feliz (5-0, 4 KOs) in a six-rounder, and Philadelphia’s Daiyaan Butt (20-2, 10 KOs) facing Jersey City’s Mike Lee (11-3, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder at welterweight.
Heavyweight Norman Neely (15-1, 10 KOs), who hails from Paterson, New Jersey, comes back from a 15-month layoff to fight James Willis (6-1-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder.
Newark’s Muadh Abdus-Salaam makes his long-awaited professional debut in a four-round welterweight tilt against Roberto Cantos (1-3).
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