Callum Simpson avenges sole defeat to beat Troy Williamson in Leeds rematch
On 8 August 2026 in Leeds, Callum Simpson defeated Troy Williamson by unanimous decision in their rematch to reclaim the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles.
Williamson had been stripped of the European belt when an immediate rematch was triggered, so Simpson did not reclaim that title; the fight was an opportunity to avenge the only loss of his professional career, which came when Williamson stopped him in the 10th round in December.
The judges scored the rematch 116-112, 117-112 and 115-113 in Simpson's favour, delivering a unanimous decision and extending Simpson's professional record to 19 wins and one loss; the English pair put on another thrilling contest in Leeds.
In ring action Simpson landed a big right hand that rocked Williamson in the third round, while Williamson landed effectively in the eighth; knowing he needed a knockout, Williamson took the fight to Simpson in the final round, but that late rally was not enough.
Simpson is 29 and was fighting under new trainer Rob McCracken; Williamson is 34 and his record now stands at 22-5 with one draw.
"It feels amazing," said Simpson. "I really didn't want it to be that exciting, but Troy is a tough fighter. He won the last fight so he [had] every right to be confident. "What everyone doesn't know is that, in the last fight, I perforated both my eardrums in the first round. I was an absolute mess so that fight for me was just trying to survive. "But I didn't make any excuses. I've come back better, learned from it and I knew I was going to get the win tonight."
Simpson's promoter Ben Shalom called the fight "unbelievable" and praised Williamson as he "kept coming". "In boxing, people are so quick to write someone off," he added. "The amount of people that told me 'do not take that rematch'. "We took it, [Simpson] did it and I'm so happy for him." Shalom said he feels Simpson is back in world-title contention and hopes to secure him a shot in the next 12 months.