
Max Shears
Combat Sports Correspondent
1:00 AM 19th January 2025
sports
Callum Simpson Defends His Belts in Front of a Yorkshire Crowd
Boxing
![Callum Simpson needed less than two rounds to take out Steed Woodall on Saturday. (Photo: Reuters/Craig Brough)]()
Callum Simpson needed less than two rounds to take out Steed Woodall on Saturday. (Photo: Reuters/Craig Brough)
Barnsley’s boxing star Callum Simpson thrilled a packed Yorkshire crowd with a dominant second-round stoppage of Steed Woodall, successfully defending his British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles.
On January 11th, thousands of boxing fans gathered at the Canon Medical Arena in Sheffield for an action-packed night of boxing. While some questioned the card put together by BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom, one thing that certainly didn’t disappoint was the return of Barnsley boxing hero Callum Simpson to the ring.
One of the biggest talking points from the night’s undercard was the high number of stoppages, with five out of the seven fights ending before the end of the second round. Ellis ‘Wild Child’ Price made his second professional appearance and picked up his first career stoppage. His relentless pressure overwhelmed Liam Fitzmaurice, earning him a first-round victory.
The co-main event featured WBC women’s lightweight champion Caroline Dubois defending her title against Jessica Camara. Unfortunately, the fight ended in a technical draw after an accidental clash of heads caused a cut on Camara. Despite the controversial ending, Dubois retained her title and demonstrated her skill by dropping Camara in the first round, seemingly on her way to an impressive stoppage.
In the main event, Callum Simpson returned to the ring for the first time since the tragic loss of his sister Lily-Rae. The Yorkshire boxer has publicly shared how Lily-Rae was one of his biggest supporters, always cheering him on, especially when he headlined at the home of his boyhood club, Barnsley FC.
Simpson walked out to a rampant Yorkshire atmosphere with hundreds making the twelve-mile trip from Barnsley. The Yorkshireman’s fight outfit donned the club crest of Barnsley FC, the club that has supported him from the start of his journey, and his sister’s name was printed large for all to see.
Simpson started the bout strong; he came out aggressive throwing flurries of shots and kept his jab constantly in the face of Steed Woodall to establish control of the bout. He was the faster and more accurate of the two from the off and successfully closed the distance to land some solid body shots early on.
Simpson added to his strong jabs with some combinations which saw multiple right hooks land clean. Woodall looked slightly overwhelmed in the first round and was backed up towards the ropes at times. The challenger did well to defend himself and get through the first round despite Simpson’s relentless pressure.
Towards the end of the round, Simpson landed a powerful uppercut that seemed to rock Woodall and brought the crowd to their feet, but he managed to stay on his feet and make it to the bell.
In the second round, Simpson wasted no time in picking up where he left off, coming out even more aggressive clearly looking to end the bout early on.
With Woodall on the backfoot, the Barnsley champion landed a crushing left hook that sent his opponent to the canvas.
Simpson, smelling blood, went in to finish the job and with the referee deeming Woodall unable to defend himself properly, he ended the contest confirming a second-round victory for Callum Simpson in front of a roaring crowd from Barnsley.
Once Simpson was announced the winner, it was clear how much retaining his belts meant to him in front of all his family and fans who have supported him from the start. In an emotional interview in the ring, Simpson expressed that he knew his biggest fan Lily-Rae was looking down on him ‘proud’ as he took his next step in his already impressive boxing career.
Huge opportunities now lie ahead for Callum Simpson, with promotor Ben Shalom expressing an interest in adding Simpson to the Chris Eubank jr. vs Conor Benn undercard.
Meanwhile, Simpson himself has eyes set on filling Oakwell Stadium in an all-Yorkshire showdown with Sheffield’s own Liam Cameron.