Promoter Ben Shalom has found positives from the losses suffered by his main-event fighters, Frazer Clarke and Callum Simpson, in his opening two shows with the BBC.
Shalom saw Fran Hennessy survive a torrid bout last week with Ellie Bouttell to snap the streak.
Clarke and Simpson both lost hard fights, to Jeamie TKV and Troy Williamson, respectively.
“I think, ultimately, fighters lose fights,” said Shalom. “Especially fighters that want to entertain. Look at Derek Chisora, about to fight Deontay Wilder. He’s lost that many times, but he keeps surprising people and coming back, and that’s what boxing’s about. Callum Simpson probably has the biggest night of his life coming up [a rematch with Williamson, possibly in May] because of the loss. Sometimes that happens in boxing. There will have never been a fight next that will sell like that rematch will sell. Frazer Clarke has to come again. Sometimes you need a situation that’s terrible like that to really wake up.”
It has certainly instigated change for Clarke, who has aligned with Manchester trainer Joe Gallagher.
“And he’ll have to make that road back,” said Shalom. “But he’s creating an opportunity for Jeamie TKV, who now has a huge fight. He’s another fighter that debuted with us and has a big night to be announced next week. So, you know, boxing is a weird sport. And for fighters, they can win one week, lose the next, win one week and their stock rises. But I think for us, the key is to put on exciting fight nights and exciting fights for our broadcaster. And fighters’ careers will continue, even despite a loss.”
Shalom said he wanted TKV to go on to fight Dave Allen, but he felt Doncaster’s Allen wasn’t keen on the bout.
And Shalom is working with the BBC, of course, but also with DAZN. He said working with the BBC has given Boxxer “a new lease of life in the sense that we are trusted, and we’re able to make the decisions we want. And, look, we've been waiting for it. For us, the BBC was the holy grail to build stars, and now with DAZN on board, with them both sort of accommodating each other as a phenomenal platform, the first two fights performed extremely well. I think Frazer Clarke-Jeamie TKV did pretty much a million viewers on that night. And then Callum Simpson against Troy Williamson did, I think, over three times what an entertainment show does in that slot. So that’s the power of boxing. That’s the opportunity that it has. So it’s early days because they are a machine. You’re working with a public broadcaster. They’re an oil tanker, and it takes time. But as they slowly come into vision, it is a beast, and I think it’s going to become a very, very powerful platform.”
Williamson has been outspoken about Simpson and Boxxer activating a rematch clause. Williamson had hoped to move on into a world title fight, and is clearly disappointed at having to tread old ground. Williamson is promoted by Matchroom.
“I don’t look after Troy Williamson,” said Shalom. “I look after Callum Simpson. I’ve got a show on March 7. I’ve got a show on April 4. I’ve got a show in May. I don’t want to get into contractual details, but let others talk and the proof will be in the pudding.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
