Earlier this month, Callum Simpson defending his European super middleweight title against Hamzah Sheeraz was teased as a possibility.

Instead, the 29-year-old champion will make his first defence against Troy Williamson on a BOXXER show in Leeds come December 20.

Simpson-Sheeraz would have advanced to purse bids at noon CET on Tuesday if they hadn't agreed terms but instead, the Barnsley fan favourite will make a voluntary defence before Christmas, with the winner ordered to face Sheeraz immediately without exception.

Simpson (18-0, 13 KOs) has been professional since June 2019, outpointing Boris Crighton (UD10) in July 2023 and besting Mexican tough guy Jose Macias (UD10) three months later after stopping Celso Neves in three rounds on his BOXXER debut earlier in the year.

The 29-year-old arrived on the wider scene when claiming the British and Commonwealth titles with a dominant 12-round decision win over Zak Chelli in August 2024, stopping Steed Woodall in his first defence five months later before levelling up on June 7.

He climbed off the canvas twice before stopping Italy's previously-unbeaten contender Ivan Zucco in a thrilling 10-round shootout during BOXXER's final show broadcast on Sky Sports.

The promotion have since signed an exclusive agreement with BBC and will end their own five-month absence next month in Derby, a show headlined by a rescheduled Frazer Clarke-Jeamie Tshikeva matchup for the vacant British heavyweight title.

Williamson (21-4-1, 15 KOs) worked his way up on the small hall shows before his big break came, upsetting Ted Cheeseman (TKO10) to win the British junior middleweight title in October 2021. After one defence against Mason Cartwright, he lost it in a wide 12-round decision loss against impending world title challenger Josh Kelly in December 2022.

The 34-year-old's form fell off sharply afterwards as he suffered three consecutive defeats -- Caoimhin Agyarko (SD10) before 10-round unanimous decision losses to Ishmael Davis and Jahi Tucker.

However, the veteran breathed new life into his career when moving up to 168-pounds, where he upset English titleholder Mark Dickinson with a ninth-round stoppage on Matchroom's September 6 show in Sunderland, with Simpson in attendance.