Although he can afford to laugh about it now, Callum Simpson is acutely aware that his world title dream nearly went up in smoke on a cold night in Barnsley six months back.

Simpson (18-0, 13 KOs) was rightfully an overwhelming favourite against little-known Italian Ivan Zucco when they met for the vacant European super middleweight title at Oakwell Stadium in Simpson’s hometown of Barnsley, England on June 7.

But within 10 seconds of the opening bell, Simpson found himself on the canvas for the first time in his career, floored by a hard left hook-right hand combination from the visitor, which threw a cloak of silence over the football ground he has been attending since he was a kid.

“Quite a few people said I had them worried at the start,” a grinning Simpson told The Ring. “But I just wanted to make it a little bit more dramatic. It was all in the plan, all scripted, just to give them a better show.”

Simpson climbed up off the canvas and weathered the storm, but he found himself down again in the closing stages of the third round as this contest threatened to end in disaster. Up he climbed once more and, although he looked visibly more wobbled this time, he made it through the crisis.

Then, in the 10th, he completely turned the tide, dropping and stopping Zucco to keep his career on track.

“Because that was the first time I’ve been down I showed something that I’ve never had to show before,” Simpson said. “It’s another box ticked I suppose. Not that anyone wants to get dropped, but it’s nice to know that if I do, I’ve got the ability to get back up and come on strong and still dig deep and win the fight. I was never hurt, never really fazed and I got straight back up both times. I definitely got caught cold. It was a freezing night even though it was June 7. We had a little bit of a storm that weekend.”

The same could be said of those opening three rounds in the context of an otherwise faultless career to date for Simpson, the British, Commonwealth and European champion. But now, with only the world scene left to conquer, he knows sterner tests lie in wait.

The 29-year-old Simpson will face Troy Williamson (21-4-1, 15 KOs), the all-action campaigner from Darlington, at First Direct Arena in Leeds on Saturday night.

Williamson had been on a run of four defeats in five fights before he stepped up to super middleweight and gave his career a much-needed lifeline by stopping Mark Dickinson in the ninth round of their September clash.

Once again, Simpson is a significant favourite to secure what will be his fourth win of 2025. But after his scare against Zucco, he will not be taking anything for granted.

“He’s going to be extremely fit and well conditioned,” Simpson said of Williamson. “He’s got a great work rate and he’s a good boxer with great amateur pedigree. I’m expecting the best version of Troy Williamson and I think it’s become apparent that in some of his more recent fights he’s struggled at the weight and has not really been able to perform like he may want to.

“But he’s come to my weight now and knocked out the English champion in Mark Dickinson, a big prospect coming through. But I’m here to show that this is my weight and I’m the man at this weight.”

Simpson has yet to breach The Ring’s top 10 at super middleweight, but he is well placed with all four sanctioning bodies. His highest ranking is with the IBF, which has him fifth. With the IBF’s No. 2 spot currently empty, a victory over Williamson could realistically set up a final eliminator in the summer.

“Next year I see myself having a fight around March time,” Simpson said. “And then I see myself going back to Oakwell in the summer, which could be a world title eliminator, or it could be a world title.”