Ringside Report: Callum Simpson Delights His Hometown Fans

Ringside Report: Callum Simpson Delights His Hometown Fans

By Matt Elliott

Callum Simpson is the new British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion after a unanimous points decision victory over Zak Chelli at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley last night, the judges scoring it 118-111, 118-110 and 117-111 in favour of the hometown fighter.  

A glorious summers day had given way to a chilly evening by the time the two fighters took to the ring, but the air was somewhat thawed by the by the rapturous reception that Simpson received from the thousands who had turned out to support him. Despite only one stand being open, you could have been mistaken for thinking it was a capacity crowd given the noise that emanated around the stadium with chants of “Callum Simpson, he’s one of our own” on repeat for much of the evening.

It was always going to be a tough ask for Chelli to retain his titles, and if he was to do so, he was going to need to execute the perfect game plan. Simpson, adrenaline-fuelled from his ring walk, immediately went on the hunt for an early stoppage as he stalked down Chelli, looking to land the right hand that has proved his decisive weapon on previous occasions. Chelli knew exactly what to expect, and to a large extent it was a case of surviving the early rounds which he did, despite a scare right at the end of the first as Simpson connected with a right hook which saw Chelli stumble back towards the ropes, although he quickly gained his composure.

Chelli grew into the fight, and he had moments of success, especially with the left jab, but it was Simpson who was the busier throughout and the one looking to press the action. The champion succeeded, to some extent, to stifle the power of his opponent, using every trick in the book to tie him up but then failing to capitalise. Simpson continued to push forward and had success in the ninth and then again in the twelfth, landing a hard left that forced Chelli to clinch as the crowd could sense their man was seconds away from victory.

On the final bell, Simpson stood to salute the crowd and celebrated wildly in the centre of the ring as his victory was confirmed. With the British title now in his possession, he stated in the post-fight press conference his desire to win it outright, but more importantly he hopes that there are many more nights like this to look forward to in the future.  

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer