Callum Simpson stops Steed Woodall in emotional victory to retain British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles | Boxing News happymamay

Callum Simpson stopped Stead Woodall to defend his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles on an emotional night in Sheffield.

Simpson was taking up boxing for the first time since the death of his sister, who died tragically at the age of 19.

Lily-Rae Simpson’s name was written on his shorts and robe when he arrived to enter Canon Medical Arena.

Thousands of supporters gathered to attack the Barnsley man inside the ring with deafening chants that reached a peak when Simpson was forced to end the match.

At the first bell, Woodall was unfazed by the boos that greeted him, landing crosses on Simpson in the first round, the kind of sharp jabs that showed how dangerous he was.

The Birmingham competitor found accurate shots early in the opening round.

But when Simpson put the combination together, it elicited a huge cheer.

He fired his right through and slammed a powerful left afterward. He sank left hooks into Woodall’s body, battering her brutally.

Guiding Woodall to the ropes, he rattled off a flurry of shots. Simpson scored again with his cross and put pressure on Woodall more in the second round.

He trapped Woodall on the ropes and a blazing mob watched him slam the challenger to the canvas. He mixed right uppercuts into a series of strikes, as an explosion of left and right hooks put the Birmingham man down.

Simpson continued to storm Woodall, although the challenger looked gamely to fight back. He wanted to continue, but the referee intervened to end it at 1:56 of the second round.

His sister was immediately in his thoughts when his victory was announced.

“It feels bittersweet,” he said. Sky Sports. “I’ve won these titles in front of all my fans but there’s one person everyone knows I wish was here, but I know she’s looking down on me and I know I’m making her proud.

“I brought my other brothers and sisters, my mom, my dad and my stepmom into the ring just to show that she’s not here, but she’s here in spirit. I still have a lot to be grateful for.”

Was it stopped too early?

Simpson himself did not consider the stop premature. “If he doesn’t stop him then, we will stop him in another half a second,” the champion said.

“For me it should have stopped. At least Steed is safe and sound.

“I knocked him down. He was still standing on unsteady legs. Anyone who knows me knows he would have fallen again.

“The referee did his job and kept it safe. Stead is obviously going to argue, but this is a legitimate stoppage.

“It was only going in one direction.”

Sky Sports Expert Matthew McLean has deemed it too early. “He wasn’t on his feet,” McLean said.

“Even if he was going to continue to stop it, this was not the time to stop it.

“I think Callum Simpson would have gone on and won the fight, probably by stoppage, but he shouldn’t have been stopped when it happened.”

The result of course stands and now Simpson will want another battle on the court.

“So what? I just had a quick chat with [Barnsley CEO] “John Flatman has been given permission to trash the stadium in the summer,” he said.

“Oakwell, we’re coming for you again!”