Callum Simpson reclaims British and Commonwealth titles in front of Leeds home crowd
Callum Simpson produced a stunning comeback victory at Leeds’ First Direct Arena to reclaim his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles and avenge the only defeat of his professional career.
The Barnsley fighter returned to the scene of one of Yorkshire boxing’s biggest nights, overcoming Troy Williamson by unanimous decision in a thrilling rematch that saw Simpson regain the belts he had lost eight months earlier.
With the fight taking place at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, Simpson was determined to put things right after Williamson stunned him with a 10th-round stoppage in their first meeting in December. This time, there was to be no repeat.
Simpson boxed with composure and aggression throughout, with the judges scoring the contest 116-112, 117-112 and 115-113 in his favour.
The 29-year-old, now working with respected trainer Rob McCracken, produced one of his best performances to date and appeared to take control when he rocked Williamson with a powerful right hand in the third round.
Williamson refused to fold, however, and showed the resilience that had earned him victory in their first encounter. The 34-year-old landed heavily in the eighth round before throwing everything he had at Simpson in the final stages, knowing he needed a stoppage to retain his titles. But Simpson stood firm.
When the final bell sounded inside a packed Leeds arena, it was the Yorkshire fighter who had his hand raised and the British and Commonwealth belts returned to his possession.
The victory moves Simpson's professional record to 19 wins and one defeat and represents a remarkable response to the only setback of his career.
“It feels amazing,” said Simpson. “I really didn't want it to be that exciting, but Troy is a tough fighter. He won the last fight so he had every right to be confident.
“What everyone doesn't know is that, in the last fight, I perforated both my eardrums in the first round. I was an absolute mess, so that fight for me was just trying to survive.
“But I didn't make any excuses. I've come back better, learned from it and I knew I was going to get the win tonight.”
For Simpson, the significance of reclaiming the titles in Leeds added another special chapter to the story.
The First Direct Arena provided the stage for his return to the top of British boxing, with the Yorkshire crowd witnessing him put the disappointment of December firmly behind him.
His promoter Ben Shalom described the contest as “unbelievable” and paid tribute to Williamson for continually pushing Simpson throughout the fight.
But Shalom believes the victory has put Simpson firmly back on the road towards a world title opportunity.
“In boxing, people are so quick to write someone off,” he said.
“The amount of people that told me, ‘Do not take that rematch’.
“We took it, Callum did it and I'm so happy for him.”
Having reclaimed his titles in front of the Leeds crowd, Simpson can now look towards the next stage of his career — with a potential world title challenge firmly back on the horizon.