Troy Williamson pulled off a huge upset to take the British, Commonwealth and European super-middleweight titles away from Callum Simpson back in December.
The pair run it back in an immediate rematch in Leeds on Saturday night and Barnsley boy Simpson will be eager to make amends.
Troy Williamson v Callum Simpson Tips Preview
Williamson had suffered four defeats in his last six fights prior to upsetting Simpson in their first meeting in December.
The 34-year-old from Darlington went into the fight as a 3/1 underdog, but produced a stunning performance to stop the previously unbeaten Simpson in the 10th round, recording three knockdowns before the referee stepped in when he sent his opponent down for the fourth time.
In his post-fight interview, Williamson labelled it as a "performance of a lifetime" and he will need to replicate that display to repeat his victory over Simpson, who is gunning for revenge.
Simpson had put together a perfect 18-0 record with 13 stoppages before being stunned at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, including victories over Zak Chelli and the previously unbeaten Ivan Zucco.
The Barnsley boxer opted for an immediate rematch and has stressed he has made the improvements he feels are necessary to avenge that defeat, without giving too much away, but Williamson should be up for the challenge.
Trojan had put together a solid unbeaten CV of his own before his run of poor form.
Williamson had 19 wins and one draw on his record before he was outpointed by Josh Kelly in 2022 and that defeat doesn't seem like such a major blemish now Kelly has gone on to claim a world title.
His other losses have come at the hands of Caoimhin Agyarko - who has only lost in a world title fight against Kelly- Ishmael Davis and, as an away fighter, against Jahi Tucker in the USA.
In context, Williamson's losing run is perhaps understandable and he has been in the ring with a higher standard of opposition than Simpson has faced, even if he hasn't been able to win those contests.
Simpson is probably the technically superior boxer and he was marginally ahead on all three scorecards before being stopped.
The 29-year-old uses jerky movement and aggressive pressure, but this led to him tiring in the second half of the first meeting and that allowed Williamson to take control.
Williamson is a little more one-dimensional as he focuses on front-foot pressure and a high work-rate.
The Darlington man is a slight underdog ahead of the rematch at 5/4, with Simpson the 4/7 favourite.
Troy Williamson v Callum Simpson Tale of the Tape
Troy Williamson | Callum Simpson | |
Record: | 22-4-1 | 18-1 |
Age: | 34 | 29 |
Birthplace: | Darlington, England | Barnsley, England |
Height: | 5' 11" | 6' 3" |
Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
Last Fight: | Won (TKO) Callum Simpson (Dec 2025) | Loss (TKO) Troy Williamson (Dec 2025) |
KO%: | 72.73 | 72.22 |
Alias: | Trojan | NA |
Troy Williamson v Callum Simpson Top Tip
Callum Simpson to win by Decision or Technical Decision @ 6/5
Simpson struggled to impose himself in the first fight and was left largely fighting on the back foot against Williamson's relentless pressure.
Williamson is unlikely to make too many changes to his approach, but Simpson may only need a few small adjustments to avenge that first defeat.
The Yorkshireman used up too much energy early on as he tried to claim a statement win over Williamson and that was perhaps his undoing as he ran out of steam after the halfway point.
Trojan kept up the pressure and ultimately claimed the stoppage and he may well have secured a points win had the fight gone the full distance if he'd won the final three rounds on the scorecards.
Simpson has significant height and reach advantages and he is capable of using those even if that wasn't particularly evident in the first fight.
In this rematch he should adopt a more methodical approach and the best route to victory for the challenger is to keep Williamson at range in the early rounds and build up a lead on points.
Simpson would clearly love to respond to a stoppage loss with a knockout of his own, but the most important thing is that he gets his revenge by any method and he will probably take a risk-averse approach on Saturday, as he is well aware Williamson carries plenty of power.
Williamson has never been stopped, but could be outclassed here if his opponent gets his tactics right, so backing Simpson to win on points looks like the best angle.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
