We are deep into awards season but Steed Woodall’s victory over Lerrone Richards last June has been a notable absentee from almost every list of nominees.

The outstanding win certainly warranted consideration in a couple of categories.

The perfectly timed right hand that earned Woodall a sixth round knockout victory over the former IBO, British, Commonwealth and European super middleweight champion should have made the 30 year-old a serious contender for both Knockout and Upset of the Year honours.

In the end, the win earned Woodall a more tangible reward. He will fight current British champion, Callum Simpson, in Sheffield on Saturday night.

Woodall, 19-2-1 (12 KOs), had to think his way through every second of the fight with Richards. The tricky southpaw rarely makes mistakes and Woodall knew that the first opening he was presented with could be the last.

The 30-year-old expects Simpson, 15-0 (10 KOs), to pose him an entirely different set of problems this weekend.

Simpson’s aggression will undoubtedly force him to fight on his instincts at times but Woodall believes the intelligence and boxing fundamentals he displayed against Richards will once again play a big part in securing him another shock victory.

“It's a completely different fight because with Lerrone, he's a world-class southpaw, counterpuncher. A boxer through and through,” Woodall told The Ring.

“People just think it was just in that sort of moment when it happened but it is real ring generalship that I had to constantly read him from the first round.

“He made the same mistake twice in the round before and the round before that. He was overcommitting with the left hand to the body, which is usually a safe punch for a southpaw. It was about finding just enough tempo to keep him on the back foot, but just allow him to come forward a little bit.

“And that's where ring I.Q comes in. Where I'd already envisioned the punch, it was kind of like an instant counter, basically. It was a tricky task in executing that. But I did.

“In comparison to the fight ahead of me, Callum will be there in the centre of the ring ready to fight me. He's not as experienced, not as cute in the ring. He doesn't have that sort of boxing ability.

“He has a sort of young hunger and eagerness to impress. I'll use my experience against him. I think - without being disrespectful because I'm respectful to all my opponents - he's just sort of got that one style of coming forward essentially, and that can only get you to a certain level, really. That's what I need to expose.”

Woodall has walked a long and winding path to get to this stage. He turned professional in America and spent three years travelling around the States looking for a break.

He eventually returned home and has been scratching around for opportunities since 2021. Last August he lost a decision to the undefeated Padraig McCrory in Belfast but snatched his second opportunity by shocking Richards.

Simpson is seen as one of Britain’s brightest hopes and beating him live on a major platform will take Woodall to a whole new level. It will also see him stand atop the British super middleweight rankings, opening up a whole range of options and avenues.

“Yeah, in terms of the Boxrec rankings, he's there, isn't he? He's been up there at the head of the rankings for a long time. But anyone that knows boxing knows that if you are in with the right people, then you will just naturally get ahead in the rankings and get that sort of ladder up,” Woodall said.

“It's just the sort of snakes and ladder effect. It's like, what's in front of me? There's a ladder that I can only go up and what's there in front of Callum? All the pressure's on him.

“I'm going to go up and he's going to go down in terms of snakes and ladders.”