Callum Simpson believes fighting Ivan Zucco for the European super middleweight title on Saturday will help take him to the next level.
Zucco is an unbeaten southpaw from Italy, and Simpson – from Barnsley, England – has impressed on his way to 17-0 (12 KOs). He has built a hefty following, too. So much so that Simpson is having his second fight at the home of the soccer team he supports, Barnsley FC, and several thousand fans are expected.
Simpson has had two bouts this year, winning both in good fashion.
“The next steps to develop as a fighter, I think, are just to keep doing what I’m doing in terms of stepping up every fight, stepping up in levels, again. I feel that’s what I’ve done,” Simpson told BoxingScene. “I’ve tried to step it up, fight different styles, try and become a more complete boxer. I think my style, naturally, is like a come-forward, pressure fighter. I like to throw a lot of shots, whereas now I’m trying to become a complete boxer in terms of being able to box at range, use my jab, use my range a lot more – both long, medium and inside. With Ivan Zucco, my first southpaw, I’m going to be fighting at European level. I’ve come through all the levels – so area title, I won that; British, Commonwealth, I’ve won two international titles – and just fighting different styles and stepping up every fight, trying to step up. And Zucco’s going to be my next step up, to European level.”
Of course, much work is done in the gym with coaches Marley Waite and Mark Hurley. Tape is studied, and then there is plenty of time spent in the gym, coaching, setting out game plans and developing as a boxer.
“We’ve done enough [tape study],” said Simpson of his opponent at Oakwell on Saturday. “My coach, Marley, does a lot, so he’ll do the fight analysis for us. He’ll watch the relevant fights, most recent fights, most fights that are more relevant to my style, and pick out [Zucco’s] strengths, weaknesses, what I need to be aware of, what will work against him, and they’ll time-stamp and clip bits that I need to see and I need to be aware of. Personally, I don’t just sit down and watch Ivan Zucco. I’ve watched probably one round of him on YouTube, and I just don’t really like watching my opponents, to be fair. It just gets a bit boring, to be honest, but my coach will break down exactly what I need to watch. I’ll watch what’s relevant.
“We’ve picked up some key areas of what he’s very good at, what we need to be careful of, what we think my strengths are that will work against him, and then we just drill for however many weeks, months, in sparring. Then we try and develop again, try and develop as a complete fighter, what style and what strategy, what game plan will work against Zucco. There’s a probability of how we think he will come to beat us, and what we think is a chink in my armor that he’s going to try and take advantage of, and we try and reduce that. When you ask if I’ve watched a lot of him, I’ve watched what I need to, and we know enough about him.”
Simpson would not elaborate on Zucco’s strengths in case it gave away any part of his own strategy, although he believes Zucco is strong, has good power, and Simpson is aware that Zucco has more knockouts than Simpson has had fights.
And, ultimately, Simpson believes it is the test he needs to prepare him for the fights he covets in the long run.
“He seems very durable, very tough. It looks like he can both box and fight as well, and he’s very fit,” Simpson added. “So he is a very competent fighter, good fighter.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.