A small contingent is following Callum Simpson from Barnsley to London for his Commonwealth super-middleweight title fight on Saturday with Ghana’s Elvis Ahorgah.
Simpson-Ahorgah was confirmed on January 22 – 11 days after Simpson impressively stopped Steed Woodall in two rounds in a defence of the British and Commonwealth titles and 10 days before fight night – when an injury suffered by Isaac Chamberlain left promoters Boxxer seeking a replacement for Chamberlain-Viddal Riley as chief support to Adam Azim-Sergey Lipinets at Wembley Arena.
The 28-year-old Simpson has, perhaps unexpectedly, emerged as one of Boxxer’s finest prospects. A promoter and broadcaster, in Sky Sports, who have favored attempting to recruit Britain’s most promising young and developing fighters as part of what appears to be a longer-term focus have been convinced by Simpson’s ability to draw a 7,000-strong crowd to Barnsley’s Oakwell Football Ground for the victory over Zak Chelli in August 2024 that delivered to him his two titles.
He made his first defense of them against Woodall on January 11, when plans already existed for him to return to Oakwell in the summer against another domestic opponent, but his growing support is such that he was included on Saturday’s promotion at Wembley to continue to enhance his profile and because of the awareness of the tickets he is capable of selling, regardless of the potential risk to Boxxer’s plans for him for the summer.
Simpson returned to the gym two days after the victory over Woodall, unaware of the offer to fight Ahorgah, 24, that was to follow, and he told BoxingScene: “It’s just over a week’s notice and I’ve got over 200 people coming from Barnsley just coming to support me. Two coaches coming down, then everyone else getting trains and driving down, so yeah, well over 200 coming down.
“The Barnsley faithful, going to back their boy. So there’s going to be plenty of noise in there for me on Saturday.
“I was back in the gym on a Monday. There’s only the Chelli fight, and the Boris Crichton fight [when I’ve not been straight back to the gym afterwards]. I’ve had seven fights in a year, before I was in the small-hall shows. I’ve had three fights in a month before, on the small-hall shows. I’ve had a fight on a Saturday, been back at work on a Sunday; fought on a Saturday, back running on a Sunday. So I’m no stranger to it.
“Everyone knows that I’m very big at the weight, but because I was in the gym I didn’t go too crazy with the food. I had plenty to eat [after winning], don’t get me wrong – I think every fighter does – but it’s not even been two weeks since I got told about this fight. Not even it was definitely happening. I was only told it could happen – it only got confirmed to me the day it got announced – but I’ve been on the diet, I’ve been in the gym, and I’m pretty much at the same weight I was the same time out from the Woodall fight; the Chelli fight. I know my body – I know I can make weight well – and I’ll show that on fight night.”
Simpson has been vocal about his desire to win the British title “outright” by making three successful defenses of it, and also about his ambition of fighting in front of a bigger crowd back at Oakwell later in 2025, but asked if he therefore felt an increased pressure ahead of his date with Ahorgah he responded: “Everyone’s seen how I perform under the bright lights, with a big crowd, with that kind of – people call it pressure – so I feel like every fight there’s more pressure. I feel like I deliver and I’ve continued to do so and I’ve proven that, so I don’t feel any more added pressure, I go in there relaxed and look forward to what’s next.
“I’ve sized him up a little bit. He’s a similar size to Steed, but I’ve sized him up. I’m going to have a little look at the weigh-in.
“He talked a lot. It were fun; it were entertaining. I’ve seen a few bits of him on social media. He does seem serious, though. He doesn’t seem like he’s here just to make up the numbers.
“He was supposed to fight Shakiel Thompson next week on the GBM show in Sheffield, so he’s been in camp; he’s been training; he’s fit. This is a massive opportunity. He’s had 13 wins; 12 knockouts. There’s not too much footage of him, but there’s a lot of fighters that get these last-minute fights and they overlook the foreign opponent. They think it’s going to be an easy fight – walkover – but they come unstuck, but I’m not going to be doing that. I’m going to be going in there fully focused.”
Read the full article here
