What You Should Know About Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson!

Lorenzo Demetrius Simpson is an American amateur boxer for USA Boxing. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 15, 2000. Simpson currently resides with his family in Owings Mills, Maryland. He attends St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Maryland, where he is a ninth grade high school basketball student-athlete. He has an older brother, Maurice, and a younger brother, Donte. 

In July 2004, the Simpson family endured a tragedy. While four year-old Simpson was at school, his father, Lorenzo Dante Simpson, was murdered during a daytime home invasion. After the death of his father, Simpson had several altercations in school and was regularly finding himself in trouble. His mother, Danica (Carroll) Ward, thought that a positive solution would be to involve her son in organized sports. She signed him up to play basketball with his older brother, Maurice, at the John Eager Howard Recreational Center, and later, at the Chick Webb Recreation Center. He enjoyed playing basketball, and it helped him deal with the loss of his father. 

Simpson’s uncle is former professional boxer and heavyweight world champion, Hasim Rahman, Sr. After noticing that Simpson had interest in watching Rahman’s fights, his stepfather, Courtlon Ward, took him to Upton Boxing Center in Baltimore. Although he was too young to train, he watched for hours while others boxers trained. When he arrived home each evening, he practiced what he observed in the gym. When he was eight years old, he began training with boxing coaches Calvin Ford, Mack Allison, and Kenny Ellis. Allison is credited with giving him a nickname that described the shape of his head, “Truck.” In 2011, tragedy struck again, when his older boxing teammate, Ronald T. Gibbs (known as “Rock”), was stabbed to death. Later that week, ten year-old Simpson won his first National Silver Gloves Championship, and he has won it every year since. That same year, he also won the National PAL Championship. Altogether, Simpson has won six national championships. 

Simpson has compiled an outstanding amateur boxing record of 100 wins and one defeat. Throughout his years in boxing, he has learned the importance of keeping a healthy diet and maintaining a strict training regimen. He has fought nationally in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. In boxing, he competes at welterweight (147 lbs). He has traveled to many of the same states for basketball tournaments and camps. During the 2013-2014 football season, Simpson was a slot receiver and running back for City Springs Middle School in Baltimore. He elected not to play football this year, but plans to play again in the future. 

This year, he made the honor roll at St. Frances Academy. Simpson takes his education seriously, and plans to finish high school with a solid grade point average. He desires to be known as an all-around athlete, and his future plans include becoming a world champion pro boxer. Simpson enjoys going to the movies, shopping, using social media, and spending time with his friends.