Latest news with #OakwellStadium
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Simpson survives two knockdowns to stop Zucco
Super-middleweight Callum Simpson picked himself up off the canvas twice before securing a stunning stoppage victory over Ivan Zucco in his home town of 28, made history as he maintained his unbeaten record (18-0) to become the town's first European champion when he stopped Italy's Zucco in the 10th round at Barnsley FC's Oakwell Stadium. The Englishman dedicated the win to his sister, Lily-Rae Simpson, who died aged 19 in a car accident in Greece last year."Not once did I give up, in those last few rounds I'll be honest I started thinking about my little sister Lily," Simpson said."I'll be honest, I just thought I had to push for her and for everybody. This time last year, Lily was sat up here cheering me on and she was there with me tonight when it got tough, when it got hard."From round eight, I thought, 'I've got to dig deep, I've got to keep pushing, I've got to do it for her'. She was with me tonight."With the win, Simpson puts himself in prime contention for a step up to world level by the end of the the raucous Oakwell crowd feared the worse with only eight seconds on the clock in in the opening round when Zucco downed Simpson with a hard left shook off the early knockdown and buzzed Zucco with some fine punching of his own, but the home favourite was caught too square in the third round, dropped for the second time by a left on by 23,000 inside the football ground, Simpson was not to be deterred and he continued to advance - taking a number of risks along the sensed an opening in the 10th round as he stalked Zucco before launching a stunning left uppercut on the chin of his opponent - who then sank to his knees before beating the was subjected to another punishing uppercut and slumped to his knees but he bravely rose on the count of eight, until a third knockdown meant the Italian's corner pulled their man out of the fight.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'I'd show 'Canelo' Barnsley's sights' - Simpson eyes dream fight
Would Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez swap the mariachi music of hometown Guadalajara for a tune from Barnsley's brass bands?Or maybe the Mexican superstar would prefer to sip a bitter ale, rather than tequila, while listening to cricketing tales from the town's legendary umpire Dickie Bird?For British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Callum Simpson, a fight against undisputed king Alvarez at the home of his beloved Barnsley Football Club isn't as far-fetched as many might think."I'll show him the town during fight week. Barnsley Town Hall is a beautiful building. For me, it's the ninth wonder of the world," the 28-year-old says with a grin."But seriously, two years ago, I did an interview saying I want to fight Canelo at Oakwell Stadium and people laughed, saying 'you'll never fight at Oakwell let alone Canelo'."But on Saturday I'm fighting at Oakwell for the second time in 10 months, having sold thousands of tickets, so why not Canelo at some point?"Realistically, sharing the ring with Alvarez - who will defend his crown against American icon Terence Crawford in September - is a fair way away. And it is unlikely the 34-year-old has heard of Barnsley, let alone able to point it out on a Simpson, undefeated in 17 fights, is confident he will land a world-title shot next though, he must overcome unbeaten Italian Ivan Zucco - who has 18 stoppages in 21 wins - for the vacant European title on Saturday."He's had more knockouts than I've had fights so I'm definitely not overlooking him," Simpson adds. "This is the next proper step." A fanbase built by real-life interactions Simpson was cheered to domestic honours by 7,000 fans when the hometown hero beat Zak Chelli at a limited-capacity Oakwell last August, but promoters Boxxer expect close to 15,000 on Saturday."I've done 3,500 tickets on my own - just from family, friends and messages on social media," he a huge ticket seller can take you far in the sport, and Simpson has built his own fortress of fans in south secret is a genuine connection with his local community through personal spends evenings at his local pub, personally handing out tickets."None of this is artificial. I'd like to think I'm just naturally a nice, hard-working person with a good heart, and people from Barnsley want to back me," he to BBC Sport via video call while parked up in his car, Simpson is on his way to volunteer for a foodbank at a local supermarket."I try to give back to my community and I try to get to every charity event or local football game I can," he says."My manager and trainer say I do too much and need to rein it in - but I just love giving back." How family tragedy led to new-found perspective Simpson has a "new-found perspective" on boxing after his sister, Lily Rae-Simpson, tragically died aged 19 in a car accident in Greece last year."I always wanted to make my little sister proud, when she was with us and even now when she's not," he says."She's still in the ring with me and I feel her presence there. When I'm training I can hear her voice and I can dig that little bit deeper."Simpson says he has watched videos recently from his win over Chelli, with Lily chanting his name and smiling in the Oakwell stands."That was the last fight she saw me in and it's [Saturday] going to be an emotional night for my family," he reveals."But I know how proud she was for me and how she would have wanted me to carry on and become a world champion."
The Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco: Start time, live stream, TV channel and full card for epic super-middleweight title clash
CALLUM SIMPSON'S Barnsley homecoming sees him put his European super-middleweight title on the line against undefeated Ivan Zucco. Mr Simpson has been in the form of his life of late and is hoping to extend his perfect 17-0 professional record. 1 The British heavy-hitter goes into this bout off the back of a fifth-round stoppage win over Elvis Ahorgah in February, despite accepting the challenge on short notice. And it was no surprise to see Simpson successfully defend his crown in style - the very same belt he snatched from Zak Chelli last August via a unanimous decision. However, the champ has already admitted that his next opponent, Zucco, will give him the 'fight of his life' as the Italian icon has an even impressive undefeated record of 21-0. Furthermore, Zucco will step into the ring off the back of a dominant second-round stoppage over Kasim Gashi in December. When is Simpson vs Zucco? Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco will take place on Saturday, June 7. Ring-walks for this huge encounter are set to get underway at approximately 10pm BST. These timing are subject to change depending on the other fights on the undercard. Oakwell Stadium - home of Barnsley FC is the chosen venue for this mega title fight and it can host around 15,000 spectators. Tickets for this event are still available on Ticketmaster Please note that StubHub and similar secondary ticket resale sites may list tickets above face value What TV channel is Simpson vs Zucco on and can it be live streamed? Callum Simpson vs Ivan Zucco will be broadcast LIVE on Sky Sports Action. Fans can also stream the entire action through NOW TV via any compatible mobile device or tablet. What is the full card? What has been said? Champ Callum Simpson has admitted that this will be his toughest fight so far in his illustrious professional career. The British boxer said: "This is the biggest fight of my career, and I'm expecting my toughest test to date. "Last summer, I won the British and Commonwealth titles in front of my home crowd, and now we're coming back, bigger and better, fighting for the European title against an undefeated fighter in Ivan Zucco. "This isn't just another fight, it's a massive European night, and I'm coming to put on a statement performance. I need Oakwell to be a fortress on June 7 and make sure that European title stays right here in Barnsley. "The support from Barnsley means everything to me. This town has backed me from day one, and to be fighting at Oakwell again, in front of my people, is something special. "Last time we sold it out in two days, this time we're going even bigger. It's going to be a night to remember and I couldn't be prouder to represent Barnsley on the big stage."
