Vladimir Hernandez pulled off a huge upset as he derailed the momentum of hot prospect, Lorenzo Simpson, with a well-deserved points triumph in Atlanta.
Hernandez has form for taking out favourites following previous wins over Alfredo Angulo and Julian Williams, but this could be his biggest win to date with Simpson being highly fancied.
The stablemate of Gervonta Davis, one of boxing’s grandest names, Simpson had been tipped to emulate his Baltimore colleague, but he’ll need to revisit the drawing board after he was outworked by Hernandez.
The California-based Mexican set a ferocious pace from the outset, and it was obvious early on that Simpson was uncomfortable with it.
Trailing in the fight, Simpson did put in more effort in the closing sessions and scored well with a number of shots, but the industry of Hernandez early on was enough to give him the verdict.
One judge’s scorecard of 76-76 was overruled by verdicts of 78-74 and 79-73 in favour of Hernandez, who can now look forward to another big opportunity.
For Simpson, a rebuilding process will now take place and he’ll have to show huge improvements if he’s to fulfil his potential.