Callum Simpson will draw inspiration from fighting in front of a packed football stadium in his hometown when he challenges for the European championship.
On June 7 Simpson fights fellow unbeaten super-middleweight Ivan Zucco for the European title at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, live on Sky Sports.
It’s part of a wave of British stadium fights that follows on from Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn boxing at the Tottenham Hotspur ground, taking place alongside Fabio Wardley’s fight slated for Portman Road in Ipswich and followed by the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois undisputed title clash at Wembley Stadium.
Last year Simpson won the British title on an emotional night at Oakwell Stadium.
Simpson got a controversial TKO win against Steed Woodall after the referee stopped the bout in the second round
“I did that ringwalk hundreds of times in my head before the fight, hundreds of times in my room practising how I’m going to celebrate after,” Simpson told Sky Sports. “Everything I pictured, it was exactly that and more.
“As we did the ringwalk I wasn’t sure. I thought: ‘How am I going to feel? Is the pressure going to get to me?’ Even though I didn’t think it would, but you don’t know until you know. Then when I come out, I turned and I’ve seen 7,000 Barnsley fans chanting my name, I looked up and I thought I’m made for this. This is what it’s about, I’m made for this.
“I like to say whether the crowd’s there or not, I’m still going to perform, perform at my best,” he reflected, but added: “When the crowd starts roaring it gives you that something to carry on pushing forward. In those late rounds, when you’re starting to tire a bit and the crowd’s just roaring you on and cheering you on, it definitely adds those few percents.
“That’s what’s special about the people that come and support me, they’re not like fans. They’re my community, people that I see at the games, people that I see walking through town. We have a proper connection.”
Simpson dedicated his win over Steed Woodall to his sister, who tragically passed away at just 19 due to an accident
He wants to use that inspiration again against Zucco on June 7, this time in front of the stadium at full capacity.
“Now to be able to do it again for European honours, making history, I’m going to be the first Barnsley born and bred to win a European title so it’s going to be etched in history forever,” Simpson said.
He does expect a hard fight. “We’re both undefeated, we’ve both had long notice for this fight. We’ve both got high knockout ratios. I’m expecting a good fight,” Simpson said. “He’s had more knockouts than I’ve had fights.
“He was the mandatory challenger, he was No 1,” the Yorkshireman added. “It’s going to see me against my first southpaw, my first undefeated fighter. Callum Simpson’s just levelling up every time.
“All the hard work, it all goes towards that one moment: ‘And the new…’ It would mean everything to me.”
Callum Simpson opens up about the tragic loss of his 19-year-old sister, who died while on holiday just weeks after he had won his last fight at Oakwell
Winning a European championship can often open up a path to a world title shot. That’s where Simpson’s ambitions extend.
“We’re stepping up for a reason. I want to fight for world honours,” he insisted. “I want to fight the best possible version of him and beat him.
“I don’t believe I’m going to win, I know I’m going to win.
“I believe I can stop anybody.”
Watch Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco on June 7 live on Sky Sports.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
NFL Draft: Top 25 prospects for 2026, headlined by 4 QBs, several Clemson defenders and Ohio State’s ‘Monster Back’
The 2025 NFL Draft is so last week’s news. So here’s the top 25 for the 2026 NFL Draft. Because it’s always draft season.1. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson, JuniorA monster in the middle. That’s what Peter Woods is. A 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior game wrecker that has the athleticism to play on the outside, too. Woods is a powerful defender with light feet that plays hard and has the ability to impact the run or pass on every down. His top-notch combination of strength and agility would fit in any type of defense. Woods reminds me a lot of Jets star Quinnen Williams.2. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State, JuniorSafety prospects, even the most talented and highly regarded ones, seldom go high in the first round of the draft. Caleb Downs is the type of defender, and just pure football player, to […]
Mike Trout left Wednesday’s Angels-Mariners game as a precaution with knee soreness
Mike Trout is dealing with another injury scare.The oft-injured three-time MVP left Wednesday's game between the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners after running out a ground ball in the third inning.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the game, manager Ron Washington told reporters that Trout felt soreness in his left knee when he hit the bag and that he was removed from the game as a precaution. It wasn't immediately clear when Trout will be able to return to the lineup.Here's the play in which Trout experienced his soreness. He sprinted to first base after hitting a ground ball and was called out on a close play.There was no immediate sign that Trout experienced any issues on the play. But the at-bat was his last of the day. He was replaced in the lineup by Jo Adell for his next scheduled at-bat. The Mariners […]
LIV Golf Korea preview: Can Brooks Koepka get his first win of the season?
<!--> LIV Golf wraps up the first half of the 2025 season with this week’s LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play, the seventh tournament during the 14-event league schedule. Here is everything to know before the action begins live on FOX Sports.BASIC INFOWhen: May 2-4Where: Jack Nicklaus Golf Club KoreaADVERTISEMENT -->Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke playField: 54 players – 13 teams of four players each, and two wild cardsShotgun Start local time Rd. 1, 11:05 a.m. (May 1, 10:05 p.m. ET)Rd. 2, 11:35 a.m. (May 2, 10:35 p.m. ET)Rd. 3, 12:25 p.m. (May 3, 11:25 p.m. ET)KEY STORYLINESLIV Golf makes its first visit to South Korea, which becomes the 10th different country to host a LIV Golf tournamentLIV Golf Korea marks the halfway point of the 2025 season, with six regular-season tournaments and the Michigan Team Championship scheduled for […]
Rockies claim the worst April record in MLB history despite snapping 8-game losing streak vs. Braves
A narrow 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday could not save the Colorado Rockies from claiming the worst April record in the history of Major League Baseball.After its 8-2 loss on Tuesday, Colorado bounced back, putting an end to an eight-game skid and giving them a 5-25 record.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLast season, the Chicago White Sox finished with the worst record in modern baseball but still tallied six victories by the end of April.According to The Athletic, the Rockies are on pace to lose 135 games, 14 more than Chicago's 121 losses last year.Although the Rockies are not known as a winning franchise, their disastrous start this season boasts a catastrophic drop from previous years. In their 33 years as a team, Colorado has only nine winning seasons, and has only made the playoffs five times. The Rockies' most successful season […]
Hawks’ Dyson Daniels named NBA’s Most Improved Player with breakout season after trade
Getty Images Dyson Daniels has won the NBA's 2024-25 Most Improved Player award, the league announced on Wednesday. Daniels is now the second Atlanta Hawk to win the award, joining Alan Henderson who won in 1998. The Hawks acquired Daniels, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, in an offseason trade with the New Orleans Pelicans centered around Dejounte Murray. Daniels, along with Nikola Jokić, was one of two players who were named finalists for multiple awards. Daniels was also a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, but the honor went to Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers. Instead, he takes home the Most Improved Player trophy.There was no obvious Most Improved Player winner this season, but the race boiled down to three candidates. Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham fit the more recent bill of a highly drafted star on […]
Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels wins NBA’s Most Improved Player award
Dyson Daniels has one of the NBA’s best nicknames, was nearly the league’s top defender and can now say he is the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2024-25 season.Daniels, who was born in Australia and is known as the “Great Barrier Thief,” exploded onto the scene for the Atlanta Hawks after two forgettable years in New Orleans. He beat out the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and LA Clippers’ Ivica Zubac for the NBA Most Improved Player honors on Wednesday, decided by a voting panel of 100 media members.The announcement was made on TNT before Game 5 of the first-round playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. The 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player is… Dyson Daniels!#NBAAwards | #KiaMIP | @Kia pic.twitter.com/GSaRR2lDfy — NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025Daniels was acquired by Atlanta in the trade for Dejounte […]
Related
NFL Draft: Top 25 prospects for 2026, headlined by 4 QBs, several Clemson defenders and Ohio State’s ‘Monster Back’
The 2025 NFL Draft is so last week’s news. So here’s the top 25 for the 2026 NFL Draft. Because it’s always draft season.1. Peter Woods, DT, Clemson, JuniorA monster in the middle. That’s what Peter Woods is. A 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior game wrecker that has the athleticism to play on the outside, too. Woods is a powerful defender with light feet that plays hard and has the ability to impact the run or pass on every down. His top-notch combination of strength and agility would fit in any type of defense. Woods reminds me a lot of Jets star Quinnen Williams.2. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State, JuniorSafety prospects, even the most talented and highly regarded ones, seldom go high in the first round of the draft. Caleb Downs is the type of defender, and just pure football player, to […]
Mike Trout left Wednesday’s Angels-Mariners game as a precaution with knee soreness
Mike Trout is dealing with another injury scare.The oft-injured three-time MVP left Wednesday's game between the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners after running out a ground ball in the third inning.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the game, manager Ron Washington told reporters that Trout felt soreness in his left knee when he hit the bag and that he was removed from the game as a precaution. It wasn't immediately clear when Trout will be able to return to the lineup.Here's the play in which Trout experienced his soreness. He sprinted to first base after hitting a ground ball and was called out on a close play.There was no immediate sign that Trout experienced any issues on the play. But the at-bat was his last of the day. He was replaced in the lineup by Jo Adell for his next scheduled at-bat. The Mariners […]
LIV Golf Korea preview: Can Brooks Koepka get his first win of the season?
<!--> LIV Golf wraps up the first half of the 2025 season with this week’s LIV Golf Korea presented by Coupang Play, the seventh tournament during the 14-event league schedule. Here is everything to know before the action begins live on FOX Sports.BASIC INFOWhen: May 2-4Where: Jack Nicklaus Golf Club KoreaADVERTISEMENT -->Competition: Three rounds/54 holes of stroke playField: 54 players – 13 teams of four players each, and two wild cardsShotgun Start local time Rd. 1, 11:05 a.m. (May 1, 10:05 p.m. ET)Rd. 2, 11:35 a.m. (May 2, 10:35 p.m. ET)Rd. 3, 12:25 p.m. (May 3, 11:25 p.m. ET)KEY STORYLINESLIV Golf makes its first visit to South Korea, which becomes the 10th different country to host a LIV Golf tournamentLIV Golf Korea marks the halfway point of the 2025 season, with six regular-season tournaments and the Michigan Team Championship scheduled for […]
Rockies claim the worst April record in MLB history despite snapping 8-game losing streak vs. Braves
A narrow 2-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday could not save the Colorado Rockies from claiming the worst April record in the history of Major League Baseball.After its 8-2 loss on Tuesday, Colorado bounced back, putting an end to an eight-game skid and giving them a 5-25 record.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLast season, the Chicago White Sox finished with the worst record in modern baseball but still tallied six victories by the end of April.According to The Athletic, the Rockies are on pace to lose 135 games, 14 more than Chicago's 121 losses last year.Although the Rockies are not known as a winning franchise, their disastrous start this season boasts a catastrophic drop from previous years. In their 33 years as a team, Colorado has only nine winning seasons, and has only made the playoffs five times. The Rockies' most successful season […]
Hawks’ Dyson Daniels named NBA’s Most Improved Player with breakout season after trade
Getty Images Dyson Daniels has won the NBA's 2024-25 Most Improved Player award, the league announced on Wednesday. Daniels is now the second Atlanta Hawk to win the award, joining Alan Henderson who won in 1998. The Hawks acquired Daniels, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, in an offseason trade with the New Orleans Pelicans centered around Dejounte Murray. Daniels, along with Nikola Jokić, was one of two players who were named finalists for multiple awards. Daniels was also a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, but the honor went to Evan Mobley of the Cavaliers. Instead, he takes home the Most Improved Player trophy.There was no obvious Most Improved Player winner this season, but the race boiled down to three candidates. Pistons All-Star Cade Cunningham fit the more recent bill of a highly drafted star on […]
Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels wins NBA’s Most Improved Player award
Dyson Daniels has one of the NBA’s best nicknames, was nearly the league’s top defender and can now say he is the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2024-25 season.Daniels, who was born in Australia and is known as the “Great Barrier Thief,” exploded onto the scene for the Atlanta Hawks after two forgettable years in New Orleans. He beat out the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham and LA Clippers’ Ivica Zubac for the NBA Most Improved Player honors on Wednesday, decided by a voting panel of 100 media members.The announcement was made on TNT before Game 5 of the first-round playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. The 2024-25 Kia NBA Most Improved Player is… Dyson Daniels!#NBAAwards | #KiaMIP | @Kia pic.twitter.com/GSaRR2lDfy — NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2025Daniels was acquired by Atlanta in the trade for Dejounte […]
Be the first to leave a comment