Callum Simpson defended his British and Commonwealth super middleweight title by stopping Steed Woodall in two rounds on an emotional night in Sheffield.
Simpson was competing for the first time since his sister Lily Rae passed away at age 19. “It's a bittersweet feeling,” he told Sky Sports after the quick win. “There's one person we all know that I wish were here. But I know she looks down on me and I know I'm proud of her. .
“What I brought was [family] “I got in the ring just to show that she's not here, but she's here in spirit,” the 28-year-old added. “I still have a lot to be grateful for.'' Simpson wore her sister's name on her game shorts and robe. Lily Ray died in a quad bike accident while on vacation in Greece last August.
Barnsley fighter Simpson was a crowd favorite at the Canon Medical Arena as he took on Birmingham's Woodall, who went into the bout with a record of two losses in 22 fights. Woodall showed some dangerous shots early in the round, but Simpson asserted his dominance with strong left-right combinations.
Early in the second round, Simpson sent his opponent to the canvas, and although Woodall got back to his feet, the referee quickly caught the challenger on the ropes and stopped the bout. Simpson improved his record to 16-0 with 11 knockouts and said he then plans to return to Barnsley FC's Oakwell Stadium in the summer.
“John Flatman [Barnsley’s CEO] was ringside, so I asked if I could mess with his pitch again this summer,'' said Simpson, who defeated Zach Celli on the football field last summer. “He has given me permission to do so and I will be returning to Oakwell next summer,” Simpson admitted to BBC Radio Sheffield.
“I was expecting a tougher fight,” Simpson said of Saturday night's win. “He trained hard, prepared well and made some clean shots. I think the referee saved him. He was one shot away from going down again.”
Earlier in Sheffield, Caroline Dubois retained her newly won WBC lightweight title in disappointing fashion after her bout with Jessica Camara ended in a technical draw.
Dubois, who was promoted from interim to full 135-pound WBC titleholder after Katie Taylor relinquished the belt last month, dropped her Canadian rival in the first round. Kamara suffered a severe cut above his left eye and was deemed unfit to continue by ringside doctors before the start of the third round.
Because the cut was caused by an accidental collision of heads and fewer than four rounds had ended, the rules state that a draw must be declared rather than following the judges' scorecards, forcing him to defend his world title for the first time. Dubois' hopes of achieving this were ruined. And celebrate your 24th birthday in style.
Dubois (currently 10-0-1, 5 KOs) gave a less than flattering review of his opponent, who was left with a swollen right eye and a bloody nose. “I don't think she wanted that,” Dubois said on Sky Sports. “I hit her with a straight right and knocked her down in the first round.
“I could see that her right eye was swollen and it was from the punch. When she got the cut, the blood was flowing down the side of her face instead of coming to her face,” said the Londoner. added. “Either the doctor was stopping it, or I was stopping it.”
Dubois, the younger sister of world men's heavyweight champion Danielle, is currently aiming to unify the division with British compatriot Terry Harper, the WBO champion. “Terry Harper, that's who I want,” she told Sky Sports.
