Callum Simpson ready to make Barnsley proud in British title showdown in his hometown

Simpson: “Barnsley means the world to me; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else”

Ahead of Saturday night’s BOXXER card where Zak Chelli defends the British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight titles against Callum Simpson at Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium on August 3, Simpson previewed the fight and how he plans to make Yorkshire proud.

In this exclusive chat, Simpson also touched upon a humorous conversation he had with promoter Ben Shalom when he first mentioned main eventing a show in Barnsley.

“When I first mentioned I wanted to do a big show here [Barnsley], I think he thought we still travelled around here using horse and cart.

“Sheffield and Leeds, the two big cities around us, tend to get all the limelight and that’s where lots of the fighters from this part of the world have come from lately.”

Callum Simpson has told SportsBoom.com he aims to put his beloved Barnsley on the map by becoming only the sixth person from the town to win a British title.

The 27-year-old faces reigning champion Zak Chelli for the Lonsdale and Commonwealth super-middleweight belts at Oakwell Stadium this weekend.


Proving the sceptics wrong

Simpson believes a win over the Londoner will ensure the sceptics, which include his own promoter Ben Shalom, view the former mining community in a more positive light.

“When I first mentioned I wanted to do a big show here, I think he thought we still travelled around here using horse and cart,” joked Simpson, referring to the BOXXER chief, who also has Caroline Dubois and Chris Billiam-Smith on his roster of fighters.

“Barnsley means the world to me; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he assured.

“Obviously, when you first start out, you want to do it for yourself. But as I’ve gone along, and the people here have really rallied behind me, it’s given me even greater incentive because I want to do it for them as well.

“It’s brilliant here. There’s so much going on. No matter what you are into, you can do it here.



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