Troy Williamson produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of 2025 by stopping previously unbeaten Callum Simpson in the 10th round to capture the British, European and Commonwealth super middleweight titles in Leeds. The upset finish came despite Simpson being ahead on the scorecards, underlining the brutal unpredictability that still defines high-level boxing.
Fight night in Leeds
The bout took place at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, where Simpson boxed as the home fighter thanks to his huge local following and status as one of Britain’s brightest rising contenders. The event, promoted by Boxxer and scheduled before Christmas, had been framed as a showcase for Simpson’s progression toward a potential world title opportunity.
From the opening bell, the pace was brisk, with Simpson trying to impose himself behind straight punches while Williamson looked to close the distance and answer with heavy counters. The atmosphere in the arena reflected the stakes: Simpson defending three major regional belts, Williamson fighting for what he later described as a life-changing opportunity.
Simpson settled first, working behind his jab and combinations to snap Williamson’s head back and control the early exchanges at range. The younger champion, entering the fight with an undefeated record and a high knockout ratio, was more effective when keeping the action in the center of the ring and firing straight shots down the middle.
Williamson, however, gave early signs that his overhand right would be a problem, landing the shot late in the second round to briefly halt Simpson’s forward momentum. Even while absorbing punishment and walking into jabs, the challenger showed he had the power to change the narrative at any moment.
By the third and fourth rounds, the pattern of the fight became clear: Simpson would open up with fast, eye-catching flurries, but Williamson would answer with heavy counters, particularly the looping right hand over the top. The veteran from Darlington increasingly found success when drawing Simpson into exchanges with his back on the ropes, inviting chaos rather than trying to outbox the favored champion.
At times, Simpson’s desire to entertain and push the action bordered on over-exuberance, leaving defensive gaps that Williamson rarely failed to exploit. After four rounds there was a credible argument that the challenger had edged ahead, despite Simpson’s cleaner boxing, thanks to the impact of Williamson’s power shots.
The tempo dipped slightly in the sixth round as Simpson, now more aware of the danger posed by counters, began circling and trying to re-establish his jab. When he kept things long, he still appeared the more polished technician, landing straight shots and keeping Williamson at the end of his reach.
Yet by the seventh and eighth, the contest looked finely poised, with both men trading in high-intensity bursts: Simpson spearing with both hands, Williamson winging looping shots around the guard. As the challenger continued to close the distance and make the fight physical, the sense grew that the underdog might be forcing a late twist to the script that many boxing predictions had written in Simpson’s favor.
In the eighth round, Williamson rocketed off his back foot and drilled a right hand into Simpson’s temple, a shot that visibly shook the champion and underlined the challenger’s growing confidence. In the ninth, Williamson’s movement and head work made him harder to hit clean as he zig-zagged his way inside, adding a sharp left hook to his arsenal and repeatedly finding the target.
By the end of the ninth, Williamson raised his arm as he walked back to his corner, a clear signal that he believed the fight was slipping away from the champion despite the official scorecards still favoring Simpson. Simpson, for his part, continued to throw, but his punches lacked the same snap, suggesting the physical and mental toll of the sustained pressure.
Dramatic 10th-round knockout
The decisive moment came in the 10th round, when Simpson once again pushed forward aggressively and left himself exposed to a perfectly timed right hand from Williamson. The blow sent Simpson crashing to the canvas, and although he rose quickly, the fall had clearly taken much out of him.
Sensing his opportunity, Williamson went for the finish with ruthless efficiency, unloading a barrage of right hands and hooks as Simpson struggled to evade the onslaught. Two more knockdowns followed in rapid succession as Simpson’s gumshield flew from his mouth and his legs betrayed his condition, forcing referee Lee Every to wave off the contest with the champion dazed and unsteady.
A career reborn for Williamson
The victory capped a remarkable turnaround for Williamson, whose career appeared to be on the brink after a difficult spell that included multiple defeats and questions about his future at elite level. A move to super middleweight and an earlier stoppage win in the division had hinted that he had found his optimal weight, but few expected him to dethrone Simpson in such dramatic fashion.
Now holding the British, European and Commonwealth titles at 168 pounds, the 34-year-old has transformed his standing in the domestic and continental picture almost overnight. The win not only secures his place at the top of the regional hierarchy but also re-opens discussions about his potential path toward world-level opportunities at super middleweight.
For Simpson, the loss represents the first major setback of a career that had been carefully guided and strongly supported by his promoter. The company had invested heavily in him as a fan-friendly, ticket-selling fighter ready to move toward the global stage, and this defeat forces a reassessment of his trajectory.
Despite the knockout, Simpson remains a talented and marketable contender in a division rich with domestic rivalries and rebuilding opportunities. How he responds—technically, mentally, and in terms of matchmaking—will shape whether this night becomes a temporary detour or a defining turning point in his career.
The result significantly reshapes the British and European super middleweight landscape at a time when the world titles are in flux. With the belts at global level effectively in play, a unified regional champion like Williamson immediately becomes a serious player in any discussions about future eliminators or title shots.
Domestic contenders and emerging prospects will now have to navigate a path that almost certainly runs through Williamson if they want to claim British or European honors.
“I dreamt it, I believed it”: Williamson’s reaction
Speaking after the fight, Williamson revealed that he had carried a piece of paper since October declaring his intention to become British, Commonwealth and European champion on December 20, a vision he turned into reality on fight night. “I dreamt it, I believed it. Nobody believes in me more than myself,” he said, underlining the mindset that fueled his late-career resurgence.
He also spoke emotionally about the personal significance of the victory, stressing his desire to give his children a better life than he experienced growing up and describing the win as life-changing. Those comments added a human dimension to a result that already stood out as one of the year’s most powerful underdog stories.
Williamson’s knockout of Simpson will likely be remembered as one of 2025’s standout British boxing upsets, both for its timing and for the manner in which it unfolded. The combination of a high-tempo fight, shifting momentum and a dramatic late finish delivered all the ingredients of a classic super middleweight title bout.
For Simpson, the defeat is brutal but not necessarily terminal; boxing history is full of champions who rebuilt after early setbacks to achieve success at the highest level. For Williamson, this night in Leeds may well be the moment that turned a struggling veteran into a resurgent champion, with new doors opening in a volatile and lucrative division.
