Callum Simpson hoped for a hometown headliner in his next outing.
He will gladly settle for the alternative plan already in place.
The unbeaten super middleweight contender will return on the Feb. 1 Adam Azim-Sergey Lipinets undercard at OVO Arena Wembley in London. Simpson (16-0, 11 KOs) will face Ghana’s Elvis Ahorgah (13-2, 12 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round contest that was finalized on Tuesday.
The opportunity will mark Simpson’s second Sky Sports and Peacock+ aired fight in just three weeks. He is fresh off a second-round knockout of Steed Woodall on Jan. 11 in Sheffield. A return to Barnsley was originally in the cards before the need arose for BOXXER to fill up its next event.
“I thought my next fight would be at Oakwell [Football Ground] in the summer, but plans have changed,” Simpson revealed on social media. “I’ll be back in action and defending my Commonwealth Title on Saturday, 1st February, at the iconic OVO Arena Wembley on the Adam Azim vs Sergey Linets undercard – just 3 weeks after my last fight!
“The hard work doesn’t stop. Let’s keep the momentum going!”
Simpson-Ahorgah helped fill the void left behind when the show lost its original co-feature.
As previously reported by The Ring, Isaac Chamberlain (16-3, 8 KOs) suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from his planned cruiserweight clash with Viddal Riley (12-0, 7 KOs).
The three-week sprint between fights marks Simpson’s quickest turnaround since he fought twice in April 2022. The competition level was significantly lower, as Simpson scored a pair of first-round knockouts during his third full year as a pro.
Even against elevated opposition, Simpson has remained remarkably active given today’s boxing climate. The matchup will mark his fourth fight in just under ten months.
Jake Donovan is part of the U.S. team for The Ring. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.