Callum Simpson stops Steed Woodall in front of a vocal Sheffield crowd
Plus, other news and notes from the world of boxing
For Callum Simpson, stepping into the ring and defending his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles was probably the easy part. Managing the emotional rollercoaster that followed him on Saturday night may have been as daunting as facing challenger Steed Woodall, a competent, confident upsetter who had earned his own shot at domestic honours the hard way.
Image Credit: Sky Sports Boxing
This was Simpson’s first time back since his 19-year-old sister, Lily-Rae, died in a quad biking accident in Greece. “Lily would want me to carry on,” he told media during the week. And carry on he did.
Taking centre ring in the opening round of a scheduled 12, Simpson’s size, height and reach advantages were immediately apparent as Birmingham’s Woodall probed inside, looking for openings to land the same right hand that had stunned Lerrone Richards in June to set this opportunity up.
Boxing in Sheffield, Simpson’s fervent fanbase followed him down the road from Barnsley and made their presence felt before, during and after the main event. In round two, Simpson unleashed a vicious combination that floored Woodall.
Glassy-eyed, Steed’s fitness and determination helped him rise from the canvas and stumble back into the contest. Moments later, another barrage encouraged referee Mark Bates to step in and end the battle.
The stoppage by Mr Bates seemed premature. Yes, Woodall was rocked. However, he was arguably more hurt after the actual knockdown that had occurred seconds earlier.
Shots were landing from multiple angles and the writing appeared to be on the wall, as is often suggested in such circumstances. But Woodall’s eyes were locked on Simpson and his fists loaded for more whenever the official slid in and waved it off.
On an evening he described as “bittersweet”, Simpson later admitted that he had expected a harder night’s work. Fuming at the referee’s decision, Woodall congratulated the winner and slipped out of the ring. Simpson has the tools to ascend past this level and tougher battles will come. None tougher than the past few months that he has endured.
Caroline Dubois defended her WBC title on Simpson-Woodall undercard
Earlier in the evening, Caroline Dubois had to settle for a technical draw against Jessica Camara when defending her inherited WBC lightweight title.
Make no mistake, Dubois was dominant, flooring her foe in round one, opening up cuts, blemishes and all sorts of damage on Jessica’s face. Only the timeframe of the ending caused it to be viewed as an even contest by the letter of the law. This was a one-sided beating.
Scott Forrest dropped Deevorn Miller with a counter right hand in round one and followed it up with another in the second round, forcing a heavy knockout win.
Scottish prospect Sam Hickey dropped Lewis Howells three times, finishing off the Welsh fighter in round one.
Other news from the boxing world
Naoya Inoue’s revised January 24 clash with Sam Goodman is off again after the Aussie’s cut opened back up. The good news is that Inoue will still fight on that date in Tokyo against little-known Korean challenger Ye Joon Kim.
This fight has now been postponed twice - will ever happen?
Devin Haney worked out in the Peacock Gym in London last week. Haney kept the media waiting but wouldn’t have dared do the same to boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh, whom he is courting for a payday. Failing that, Haney could fight on resurgent broadcaster BLK Prime instead.
A fight between Sebastian Fundora and Errol Spence Jr could finally take place on March 29. This one has been talked about for almost a year now with no resolution, so don’t book your tickets just yet.
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
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