Exclusive: Callum Simpson Dreams of All-South Yorkshire Boxing Showcase

Callum Simpson, the British super middleweight champion, is dreaming of arranging what would be a stellar all-South Yorkshire card in his hometown of Barnsley after taking another step towards winning global honours.

Speaking after stretching his unbeaten record to 16 fights following last weekend’s victory over Steed Woodall, the 29-year-old expressed a desire to see the best of South Yorkshire’s boxing talent displayed on a single event in the county.

Simpson is signed to the Boxxer stable while Sheffield’s Dalton Smith, who will be on the cusp of challenging for a world title if he wins the European super-lightweight crown later this month, competes under the Matchroom banner alongside rising star Junaid Bostan of Rotherham. 

Eddie Hearn’s company also holds an option on Doncaster’s Maxi Hughes while Liam Cameron, who was controversially denied a victory over Ben Whittaker in Saudi Arabia three months ago, joined Frank Warren’s Queensberry after returning from Riyadh.

Although relations between Hearn, Warren and Simpson’s promoter Ben Shalom are strained, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Middle Eastern kingdom’s General Entertainments Authority, has used the vast financial resources at his disposal to herald a new period of cooperation between one-time enemies.

Speaking exclusively to SportsBoom.com, Simpson admitted the money that cramming all of the region’s biggest names onto one show would generate might persuade the three rivals to put their differences aside and arrange a blockbuster night of boxing.

“There’s so much talent in South Yorkshire,” he said, teasing a bout with Cameron should his proposed return with Whittaker fail to materialise. 

“There’s me, there’s Dalton, Maxi, Junaid and Liam too."

“It’s a shame in a way that we’re all spread out and with different promoters, so we’ll be on different shows, because we basically cover all of South Yorkshire."

“But everyone is working with everyone else now so I’m sure our paths are going to cross at some stage."

"I’m sure there’ll be an opportunity to do something like that in the future and what a show it would be. That would sell out in a flash, because Barnsley, Sheffield, Doncaster and Rotherham would all want to be there and we all come out in our numbers.”

Simpson, who wrestled the Lonsdale belt away from Zak Chelli at Barnsley Football Club last summer, added: “I tell you what, we could put that on at Oakwell again and I’ll do the hard work for them by selling every ticket."

"They wouldn’t have to sell a single one. I’m only joking, because I’ve got the utmost respect for all of them. They’re all brilliant fighters but I know Barnsley town centre would be empty for that.”

TOUGHEST TEST

Simpson, who also holds the Commonwealth strap, described Woodall as his toughest test to date before overcoming the Birmingham man at Sheffield’s Canon Medical Arena, live on SKY Sports.

“When you look at Yorkshire as a whole, it’s buzzing for boxing,” he said. 

“It’s not just South Yorkshire, because Josh Warrington is still around and there’s Terri Harper from near Doncaster who’s a world champion again now."

“There’s a couple of really good girls from Wakefield at our gym too, so I don’t think there’s anywhere better."

“How good would it be, at some point in the future, to get us all on at the same time. That wouldn’t need to be promoted."

"The thing would sell out in a flash so, if it’s ever possible, it would make sense to get it done.”