CALLUM SIMPSON paid a heartfelt tribute to his late sister Lily-Rae after successfully defending his British and Commonwealth titles by stopping Steed Woodall in two.
Simpson and his family were rocked by the tragic death of the 19-year-old, who passed away after being involved in a quad bike accident during the summer.
And Simpson fought back the tears after his victory over Woodall, which came after 1:56 of the second round.
The champion said: “It’s bittersweet, I’ve won these titles in front of all my fans but there’s one person I wish was here.
“But I know she’s looking down on me and I know I made her proud. I’ve got my other brothers and sisters, mum, dad and stepmum in the ring with me. She’s not here but I know she’s here in spirit. I’ve still got a lot to be grateful for and a lot to be pushing on for.”
When asked whether boxing has provided a release for the heartbreak, Simpson said: “Yes, definitely, 100 per cent.
“We picked up momentum from Oakwell and I wanted to carry it on. Some people might have needed a year out but I was straight back in the gym. Boxing gave me a serious focus and something to push on for.”
The fight itself was one-sided for as long as it lasted but the stoppage was controversial when it came.
Simpson had dropped the challenger with 90 seconds left of the second round and swiftly moved in for the finish.
However, Woodall appeared to be just about weathering the storm despite heavy pressure. And although he did not seem particularly hurt, referee Mark Bates deemed Woodall in no position to continue and stepped in to stop the fight.
The noisy crowd inside the Park Community Arena in Sheffield did not seem to care that the stoppage seemed premature but Woodall was not pleased with the referee’s decision. The official time of the stoppage was 1:56 of round two.
It was a beautiful combination which started with a double left hook and a right uppercut which had put Woodall over initially. Simpson was still landing when the finish came and looked to be capable of a stoppage eventually but Woodall appeared to be fighting back and clear headed when the end came.
Regardless, Simpson has now won both of his headline fights in his home town of Barnsley, following up August’s decision win against Zak Chelli at Oakwell with this inside-distance one. The 28-year-old contender is now 16-0 (11).
On the stoppage, he said: “If he didn’t stop it then he was going to stop it a second later. For me, it should have been stopped. At least Steed is healthy. He was on unsteady legs and anyone who knows me knows he would have gone down again.
“The referee did his job and kept him safe. Obviously Steed is going to argue the stoppage but that was a legit stoppage, he was hurt.”
