Callum Simpson insists that he never lost faith in Boxxer, even at the lowest points of the exodus that followed their separation from Sky Sports.
The 29 year old on Saturday defends his European, Commonwealth and British super-middleweight titles against Troy Williamson at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, and does so as the focal point of the second date of Boxxer’s new broadcast deal with the BBC.
Joshua Buatsi, Caroline Dubois and Ben Whittaker are among those to have left Boxxer since the conclusion of their association with Sky Sports, and another whose future remains the subject of uncertainty is the popular Chris Billam-Smith.
Boxxer and the BBC instead view Simpson as among their greatest assets, and to that end – should he succeed in defeating the 34-year-old Williamson – they intend on showcasing him at Oakwell Football Ground, the stadium of his hometown football club Barnsley, once again.
Ben Shalom’s promotional organisation has been criticised by both fellow promoters and fighters alike, but Simpson told BoxingScene: “It didn’t get bad at all [for me]. I’ve had a very busy year; a very active year. I’ve probably been the most active boxer in the country, not just for fight dates, but headlining twice. I was not discouraged at all; I wasn’t unsure about Boxxer. I’d had a conversation with Boxxer and all I can go off is what they’ve done for me so far. They’ve more than delivered. I trust in them and what they tell me. I’ve been with them for eight fights. I’m about to headline again. Boxxer have done an amazing job with me; we’ve done amazing things together. The least I can do is give them the opportunity to show that they can keep delivering for me, and they have done.
“The plans for next year – we want to go back to Oakwell. We did it this summer; we did it last summer. All I’ve got to do is keep on winning and I believe Boxxer will keep on delivering. I’ve spoken to the BBC and the producers there – what their plans are with boxing; how involved they want to be – and had some great conversations with them.
“I had a conversation with Boxxer quite a while ago. They told me their plan for the BBC and they sent me their commercials; it’s absolutely massive. Headlining three times on Sky Sports was absolutely amazing and a dream come true. Headlining on the BBC is another milestone in my career and my journey.
“I wouldn’t say I feel like I need to reward Boxxer. The relationship we’ve got is mutually beneficial. They’re delivering for me, and I’m delivering for them. We’ve got a great working relationship and they deliver the opportunities for me and I make sure I deliver on those opportunities. It’s worked for the past eight fights and hopefully it continues to work.”
Simpson was then asked about the capabilities of Williamson, who won the English super-middleweight title in his past fight against Mark Dickinson, three months after Simpson impressively recovered from two knockdowns to stop Ivan Zucco in 10 rounds.
“His toughness; his fitness; his engine, and his experience, and he’s got a good amateur background as well, so he can box, as well as fight,” he responded. “He’s got a lot of strengths.
“Moving up in weight, super middle, yeah he beat Mark Dickinson – he got a great knockout against him – but I’m a lot bigger than Mark Dickinson. I’m very, very big at the weight. After he’s done with me, he might change his mind and step down
“A lot of fighters focus too much on trying to get down to the lowest weight possible instead of actually getting down to the weight that’s their peak performance. All these years he might have been getting down to the weight that he was fighting at, thinking that was the best for him ‘cause it was a lighter weight, where in reality maybe super middle should have been where he’s been all his professional career. When he was an amateur, on Team GB, Team England, winning national championships, he was actually fighting at 75kgs, which was super middleweight.”
Since the popular Simpson’s most recent contest against Ivan Zucco British boxing has endured the death of Ricky Hatton, perhaps the most popular British fighter of all time. The organic nature of the growing following the grounded Simpson has developed during his first 18 contests has earned comparisons with that of the early-career Hatton. Simpson, perhaps more than any other, is capable of achieving a similarly loyal following, and was among those invited to and who attended Hatton’s funeral, as a consequence of them so regularly crossing paths.
“I’ve had it quite a lot that I remind people of Ricky Hatton – that fan base – but Ricky Hatton’s another level,” he said. “To reach the levels that he reached, that’s something that I massively aspire to; that I dream of. The relationship with his supporters; his friends; his family; everyone that supported him, is unbelievable. The most amazing following in the UK, and what a fighter he was and how tragic his loss is to us all. Since his passing I’ve had a lot of people say my fan base and how I am as a person reminds me of his connections with his fans, which is amazing to hear.
“That’s not me comparing myself to Ricky by any stretch. However, it is extremely motivating and extremely inspiring. I’ve since Ricky plenty of times. We actually won the area title at the same place – the Oldham Leisure Centre. I’ve seen him on so many different occasions; pubs in Barnsley; in changing rooms where he’s doing corners for fighters; sparring at his gym; he’s been to my gym for sparring with his fighters; I’ve met him out and about; on holiday. I met him in so many situations and he were such a great person; he always give his time to everybody.
“It’s not even the popularity. It’s the way people speak about him and think about him. He’s the main figure. His character; him being a good person and wanting to give back. It’s not just being popular, but being popular for what – just being a boxer, or being a good person and giving back? How you make people feel is the most important thing. I was very fortunate to be invited to the funeral. What an amazing turnout for him and send off for him.”
