SO, who is the newcomer from Barnsley who is helping Artur Beterbiev prepare to defend his light-heavyweight belt against Anthony Yarde in London?
Manager Kevin Maree called Callum Simpson “the best prospect in the country, for nothing,” predicting he would beat Ben Whittaker in a bout that boxing needs. Better yet, Beterbiev is also a fan of the Central Region’s 26-year-old super-middleweight champion.
Simpson (10-0) and steady friend Billy Deniz (7-0) head to Canada to play Beterbiev before Christmas – and are invited back.
“They said to me, ‘A lot of boxers get knocked out after one round, they can’t knock him out,'” Simpson said between visits to Montreal, where he fought the world champion.
“But I challenged him and they asked me to come back after Christmas. They say we are the perfect match. I’m agile, pretty strong, and have shoulder defense, and Billy has the same stance as Yarde, fast and strong. The most important thing is, we both love to play games. We are not afraid of challenges.”
Simpson said fighting Betterbiev was a real challenge.
“Believe in the media!” he talks about the 37-year-old who has won all 18 long-distance matches and has held some world belt since November 2017.
“You can see why he has all those knocks and why some people go in there to fight him, knock him out a few times and then jump right out. He is a complete boxer, but the main thing is his strength. He’s very strong and he throws baton-like punches.”
Simpson, who had beaten his final eight opponents in the distance by himself, was careful not to reveal too many secrets about Beterbiev’s secret when talking to boxing news.
He said: “As soon as I got there, he [Beterbiev] say something to your coach [Marc Ramsay]. He wanted to know why they brought two English guys. He wanted to know if we knew Yarde and if I was his spy! I told him we didn’t know him. I don’t want him mad!”
Simpson described Beterbiev as “very disciplined” and added: “The fact that they ask me back tells you something. They don’t have cups there.”
Maree praised Simpson, saying: “In my opinion, he is the best prospect in the country, nothing at all.
“He has been training at my gym since he was a young man and now I have him boxing regularly. In terms of promotion, he’s a free agent, but we won’t sign anything unless it suits Callum. We need an advertiser who thinks he’s as special as I am.
“Looking at the three main promoters, BT Sport will make him their top boxer after Yarde and Fury move on, Eddie Hearn will love his look and personality and make him a star Global stars and BOXXER can fight Ben Whittaker.
“Both are young stars who need a dance partner and to me, it’s like a Nigel Benn-Chris Eubank rivalry.
“Whittaker is flashy and flamboyant and Callum is a realistic, growling knockdown machine. I think people think Eubank has sparkling eyes, but I’m not sure the public will love Whittaker the same way they love him. He appeared arrogant.
“People talk about Adam Azim and Dalton Smith fighting, but that seems unlikely as Dalton has committed his future to Matchroom and boxing needs domestic competitions to keep fans excited . They can even match Ben and Callum early in their careers, as they did with George Groves and James DeGale.
“Callum Simpson-Ben Whittaker is going to be a big fight – and Callum Simpson will win.”
Simpson advanced to championship level in his final game, stopping Ben Ridings (5-2) from taking the vacant Central Area belt in his first match at 168 lbs in September. ten.
Simpson said: “He’s never been stopped before, and I think it’s going to be more difficult than it is now. Then Ben said I was the best he’d ever played with and he played with (former British amateur) Thomas Whittaker-Hart.
“I don’t have that kind of knock-down power with just one punch, but I don’t think the people I meet in the ring expect me to hit as many punches as I do and above them.”
Simpson also started fast. The Mark Hurley-trained boxer has five wins in a round since his professional debut in June 2019.
He flipped the bet after 53 innings of amateur matches. Simpson never made it past the quarterfinals of any championships and said, “I’ve been playing pro players since I was 15, with guys like Mark Heffron and Lyndon Arthur, and that really worked. give me a chance.”
Imagine what he’ll be like after the Beterbiev fight.
