After weeks of negotiations with handlers for The Ring’s No. 2-ranked middleweight contender, Yoenli Hernandez, Tucker’s team ultimately passed on a fight that would’ve been part of the Sebastian Fundora-Keith Thurman pay-per-view undercard March 28 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Ring was informed that the fallout was due to Tucker not receiving a satisfying financial number.

The 23-year-old Tucker, of Deer Park, New York, will instead take on Sona Akale on February 28 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York.

Although Akale (10-4, 5 KOs) did pick up a second-round stoppage win over Joan Sanchez on December 21, the St. Paul, Minnesota native represents a massive step down in competition for Tucker. Prior to that win, he suffered three consecutive defeats.

While Tucker (15-1-1, 6 KOs) will return to the ring two weeks from Saturday night, representatives for Hernandez (9-0, 8 KOs) are seeking another opponent for March 28. Despite having less than 10 fights on his pro record, the 28-year-old Cuban has looked like the real deal.

In the biggest moment of his career against battle-tested Kyrone Davis, Hernandez looked flawless, beating the fringe contender by unanimous decision May 31 in Las Vegas. He’s now seemingly on the verge of a title shot thanks to favorable rankings with most of the sanctioning bodies.

He is ranked No. 1 by the WBA, No. 3 by the WBO and No. 4 by the WBC.