Jahi Tucker could have fought unbeaten middleweight Yoenli Hernandez on the undercard of the March 28 pay-per-view headlined by Sebastian Fundora defending his junior middleweight title against Keith Thurman.

Instead, Tucker, 15-1-1 (6 KOs), will face Sona Akale this Saturday in a 10-rounder at The Paramount in Huntington, New York. Meanwhile Hernandez, 9-0 (8 KOs), will face Terrell Gausha on the PPV next month.

“I accepted the offer,” Tucker told BoxingScene. “At first, it was for a WBA interim championship, then it was for a No.1 contender spot. [...] I said, ‘OK, cool,’ but I asked for more money. They said they couldn’t go any higher.”

Tucker clearly stated that he didn’t duck the fight, and his resume backs a fighter who has a track record of being in tough contests. 

The 23-year-old has taken a difficult road as a prospect. In his last fight, he defeated Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson, a top amateur with major ambitions as a pro, via unanimous decision. Before that fight, he beat Troy Williamson, who recently upset Callum Simpson in December. Tucker’s resume also has him holding wins over Quincey LaVallais and Nikoloz Sekhniashvili. He suffered a 2023 loss to Nicklaus Flaz via majority decision. 

“It has to be worth the risk,” Tucker said. “A lot of times it was worth the risk, because I was a young kid, and some people thought poorly of me. So, when I took a fight, it was to show [that] I am who I am.”

When Tucker fought Francisco Daniel Veron to a majority draw one fight after the Flaz loss, it prompted reflection. Both men came in at about 155lbs. Tucker, who had fought mostly at welterweight, knew middleweight was his weight class. 

“At the time, Veron was ranked No. 5 in the world at middleweight,” Tucker said. “We met him at 156lbs. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is middleweight? I might as well fight at middleweight.’”

Tucker has now been at middleweight for five fights since 2024. Akale, 10-4 (5 KOs), is best known for handing Nico Ali Walsh his first loss in 2023 before losing a rematch in 2024. The 38-year-old Akale snapped a three-fight losing streak in December by defeating the 7-1 Joan Sanchez by a second-round technical knockout. 

“He has a talent for taking a punch and being able to shoot one back,” Tucker said of Akale. “He is super dangerous. He is a bit crazy, off-kilter, he screams a lot in his fights. […] I am fighting a wild man, basically.”