BARNSLEY, England — Last summer, Callum Simpson attracted 7,000 fans to Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium for his fight with British and Commonwealth super middleweight champion Zak Chelli.

The 28-year-old handled the pressure and weight of expectation, battled his way to a decision victory and, almost overnight, became one of the biggest draws in British boxing. The success of the evening caught many by surprise and made a return visit a certainty.

On Saturday night, around 15,000 fans are expected at Oakwell as Simpson (17-0, 12 KOs) contests the vacant European 168lb title with the undefeated Ivan Zucco, live on Sky Sports.

The local hero is expecting the Italian to provide him with a serious test.

“I'm expecting a lot from him,” Simpson said at Thursday’s final press conference.

“He's had plenty of notice and a good camp. He’s strong and powerful. He can box and also fight as well. He likes to come forward and carries power so it's gonna be my toughest fight to date. I’ve trained for a tough, tough fight and hopefully we can give the fans a good fight on Saturday.”

Zucco (21-0, 18 KOs) is a cool, calm figure and has scored more knockouts than Simpson has had fights. The southpaw is a former Italian champion who has been waiting for the chance to breakthrough to the next level. Although he is the underdog, he has competed at a similar level to Simpson and has made the trip from Piemonte with high hopes of winning the European title.

“I'm having a good time here in England. The welcome was very good and everyone has shown me respect, this is important.

“I don’t know,” he said when asked if he can stop Simpson. “I never make predictions and I won’t do this now. I came here for a win because this is a game-changer for me.”

Simpson also refrained from predicting a knockout. He's naturally aggressive and heavy-handed, but given the platform and profile he has built for himself, he knows that winning the European title will put him squarely in line for a major fight.

Last year, Chelli’s tricky style didn't lend itself to a crowd-pleasing spectacle, but Simpson refused to get frustrated and never strayed from his pre-fight gameplan. This year, it sounds like he is determined not to get involved in a shootout with the big punching Zucco.

“I think in this game anyone could knock anyone out, the level we're at,” he said.

“The European title is on the line. It’s going to be a big fight. Obviously, I'm confident I could knock anyone out. I'll definitely be winning, 100%. I’d love to say I'm gonna knock him out but my coach will be mad at me for saying that. I'm gonna win.

“Whether I knock him out or whether I win on points, as long as my hand gets raised and Barnsley's got the first Barnsley born and bred European champion, that's all that matters.”