Simpson avenges only loss in Williamson rematch

Callum Simpson reclaimed the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles, avenging the sole loss of his career by defeating Troy Williamson in a unanimous decision. The rematch, held in Leeds, saw Simpson overcome the upset loss from their December bout.

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It feels amazing. I really didn't want it to be that exciting, but Troy is a tough fighter. He won the last fight so he [had] every right to be confident.

Judges scored the fight 116-112, 117-112, and 115-113 in Simpson's favor after a closely contested bout. Simpson, now 29, fought under new trainer Rob McCracken and demonstrated significant improvement. He had previously suffered a 10th-round stoppage loss to Williamson.

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What everyone doesn't know is that, in the last fight, I perforated both my eardrums in the first round. I was an absolute mess so that fight for me was just trying to survive.

Simpson revealed that in their first fight, he had perforated both eardrums in the opening round, making survival his primary goal. "I was an absolute mess so that fight for me was just trying to survive," he stated. "But I didn't make any excuses. I've come back better, learned from it and I knew I was going to get the win tonight."

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But I didn't make any excuses. I've come back better, learned from it and I knew I was going to get the win tonight.

Promoter Ben Shalom praised the fight as "unbelievable" and highlighted Simpson's return to world-title contention. He noted the skepticism surrounding the rematch, stating, "In boxing, people are so quick to write someone off. The amount of people that told me 'do not take that rematch'. We took it, [Simpson] did it and I'm so happy for him."

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It feels amazing. I really didn't want it to be that exciting, but Troy is a tough fighter. He won the last fight so he [had] every right to be confident.