Troy Williamson defends his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles against Callum Simpson at the First Direct Bank Arena in Leeds on Saturday 8 August 2026. DAZN’s UK broadcast starts at 7pm BST, with the main-event ring walks likely to take place at around 10pm.
Simpson was ahead on all three scorecards in their first fight and appeared to be closing in on another successful defence. Williamson then dropped him four times in the tenth round and stopped him with 39 seconds left.
Simpson has gone straight back to the scene of his first defeat. He remains the betting favourite, but the enormous gap from December has disappeared. Williamson is no longer the experienced challenger brought in to test the younger champion. This time, he owns the belts and knows that he can hurt the man coming to reclaim them.
Williamson vs Simpson 2 Date, Venue and Key Details
Fight: Troy Williamson vs Callum Simpson 2
Date: Saturday 8 August 2026
Venue: First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds
Titles: Williamson’s British and Commonwealth super-middleweight championships
Distance: 12 rounds
UK card start: 7pm BST
Expected ring walks: Around 10pm BST, subject to confirmation
UK broadcaster: DAZN
Williamson record: 22-4-1, including 16 stoppage wins
Simpson record: 18-1, including 13 stoppage wins
The rematch is BOXXER’s first event under its multi-fight partnership with DAZN. It also returns Simpson to the arena where his unbeaten record disappeared.
What Time Is Williamson vs Simpson 2 in the UK?
The Williamson vs Simpson 2 card is due to begin at 7pm BST on Saturday. The headline pair should make their ring walks at roughly 10pm, although the official main-event time remains unconfirmed.
Several undercard bouts are scheduled for eight or ten rounds, so a run of decisions could push the main event later. Early stoppages would pull it forward. Anybody watching only for Williamson and Simpson should be ready before 10pm.
The event takes place in Leeds, so there is no time-zone conversion for British viewers.
How to Watch Williamson vs Simpson 2 in the UK
Troy Williamson vs Callum Simpson 2 will be shown live on DAZN in the UK. Viewers can watch through the DAZN app or website on a compatible device.
Coverage is listed from 7pm BST. The event is not currently advertised as a separate UK pay-per-view, although access depends on the viewer’s subscription plan. DAZN’s fight-week schedule should still take priority if the broadcast time changes.
What Happened in the First Williamson vs Simpson Fight?
Simpson entered their 20 December 2025 meeting as the unbeaten British, Commonwealth and European champion. Williamson had lost four of his previous six contests and closed as roughly a 1/6 outsider. The matchup looked like another step towards world level for the younger man.
For much of the evening, it followed that script. Simpson used his height, worked from range and built a lead on all three official scorecards. Williamson made the rounds uncomfortable with clinches and short punches, then began finding the target more cleanly in the ninth.
A left hand produced the first knockdown in round ten. Simpson got up, but his balance and judgement had gone with him. Williamson sent him down three more times, with an overhand right prompting the stoppage at 2:21.
It was one of the biggest domestic shocks of the year and belongs in the same conversation as the modern results covered in our list of boxing’s greatest upsets. More importantly for the rematch, it was not a lucky punch. Williamson recognised that Simpson had not recovered, stayed composed and finished the job across four separate knockdowns.
Why Is the European Title Not at Stake?
Williamson left Leeds with three belts in December, yet only the British and Commonwealth titles will be defended in the rematch.
The European Boxing Union does not allow direct rematches for its championship. Once Simpson activated the contractual return clause, Williamson had to vacate the European belt in January. The sequel could continue, but the EBU title could not come with it.
It was costly for the champion. Williamson had moved high enough in the IBF rankings to be discussed as a possible opponent for Osleys Iglesias, only for the rematch obligation to take priority. Our guide to boxing’s governing bodies explains why several organisations can pull a champion in different directions.
For Simpson, activating the clause made sense. He had controlled much of the first bout and was one victory away from moving towards world-level opposition. Waiting could have allowed Williamson to pursue another route and left the former champion rebuilding without his belts.
Troy Williamson Record and Recent Form
Williamson enters his first defence with 22 wins, four losses and one draw. Sixteen of those victories have come before the final bell. The 34-year-old from Darlington stands 5ft 11in and fights from an orthodox stance.
His record makes much more sense when split into two careers. At super-welterweight, Williamson won the British title in a memorable battle with Ted Cheeseman but later lost decisions to Josh Kelly, Caoimhin Agyarko, Ishmael Davis and Jahi Tucker. That run left him looking close to the role of experienced opponent.
Moving up to super-middleweight changed the picture. Williamson stopped Mark Dickinson in the ninth round to win the English title, then produced the performance of his career against Simpson.
The losses still carry useful information. Nobody has stopped Williamson as a professional. Kelly outboxed him clearly, Davis used his speed and Tucker won at range, but none could break his resistance. Simpson landed plenty in the first fight without forcing Williamson backwards for long.
That durability is central to the rematch. Williamson can lose early rounds if he keeps making Simpson work and turns the final third into another physical argument.
Callum Simpson Record and Recent Form
Simpson’s record stands at 18 wins and one defeat, with 13 victories inside the distance. The 29-year-old from Barnsley is around 6ft 3in, giving him a clear height advantage over the champion. He is also an orthodox fighter.
His rise before December was convincing. Simpson outpointed Zak Chelli to win the British and Commonwealth belts, knocked out Steed Woodall in two rounds and stopped Elvis Ahorgah in the fifth. His size, jab and heavy combinations made him look ready to move beyond domestic level.
Ivan Zucco exposed the danger before Williamson did. Simpson was dropped in the first and third rounds of their European title fight at Oakwell, then recovered to floor Zucco three times and force a tenth-round stoppage. It was a brave comeback, but it also showed that he could be caught clean while trying to impose himself.
Add Williamson’s four knockdowns and Simpson has visited the canvas six times across his last two fights. The larger issue is what happens defensively after he is hurt. His feet square up, his guard opens and the urgency to fire back can lead him into the next shot.
Neither man has boxed since the first meeting. There is therefore no difference in recent activity, but Simpson has had almost eight months to rebuild his approach and his confidence.
Williamson vs Simpson 2 Style Breakdown
This is not a stance puzzle. Both men are orthodox. It is a battle over range, pace and how much risk Simpson is willing to accept while using his physical advantages.
At his best, Simpson works behind a long jab and makes opponents cross open ground before they can reach him. He is four inches taller and should be able to touch Williamson without standing close enough for a reply. The first fight showed that this route works. The danger came when he stayed in range after finishing his own attack.
Williamson is compact, strong through the shoulders and comfortable turning a clean boxing match into something rougher. He can step inside the jab, tie up an arm and work with the free hand. His right hand became increasingly effective as the first contest wore on, while his left hook started the collapse in round ten.
Simpson cannot spend 12 rounds running from what happened. If he becomes too cautious, Williamson can walk him down and steal sessions through pressure. The better adjustment is smaller: finish combinations, take the step out and make the champion restart instead of admiring the work.
Why Williamson Can Win Again
Williamson has already solved the hardest psychological question. He knows Simpson can outbox him, and he knows that the fight is not over when that happens. Losing a few early rounds should not create panic.
The champion can also attack an established weakness. Zucco hurt Simpson before Williamson did, so the four knockdowns were not an isolated accident. Pressure to the chest, hooks around the guard and the overhand right remain available whenever Simpson plants his feet for too long.
Williamson also took Simpson’s best work and had more force late. A repeat win does not require another spectacular tenth round; sustained pressure could narrow the scorecards much earlier.
Why Simpson Can Win the Rematch
Simpson was ahead on every official card for a reason. His jab, height and cleaner long-range combinations controlled long stretches of the first fight. He does not need to invent a new identity; he needs to remove the sequence that undid the good work.
The former champion is five years younger and should still be entering his physical prime. He has also proved that he can recover from knockdowns and win, having done exactly that against Zucco.
Discipline is the deciding word. Simpson must resist the urge to answer every Williamson success immediately. If he gets clipped, holding, moving or even giving away 20 seconds is better than trying to reclaim the moment with his feet out of position.
Williamson vs Simpson 2 Odds
The wider UK market made Simpson roughly a 4/5 favourite on 27 July. Williamson was available around 11/8, with the draw near 16/1.
Those prices are a world away from the first fight, when Simpson was around 1/6 and Williamson could be backed at close to 4/1. The market still believes Simpson is the better round-by-round boxer, but it now gives proper weight to the champion’s durability, power and previous result.
Check the latest fight-winner, method, round and distance markets through BetVictor’s Boxing Betting & Odds page before placing a bet. Prices can move throughout fight week and may change again after the weigh-in.
Simpson by decision appeals more than a stoppage because Williamson has never been halted. Williamson by KO or TKO will tempt anybody expecting history to repeat, although four knockdowns in one round are not a pattern to assume.
Method-of-victory markets usually group several possible endings together. Our guide to TKO vs KO in boxing covers the distinction and how stoppages are recorded.
Williamson vs Simpson 2 Prediction
The prediction is Callum Simpson to win by decision.
There is no comfortable version of that pick. Williamson has never been stopped, has found a better home at 168lb and owns the most important evidence available: he has already beaten Simpson in the same building.
Simpson still did enough before the stoppage to justify favouritism. His jab was the cleanest scoring punch in the fight, his size created the easier route to winning rounds and the official cards all had him ahead. A rematch gives him the chance to keep those strengths while removing the unnecessary exchanges.
I expect Simpson to box with more restraint. He should use single jabs and straight rights early, hold when Williamson reaches his chest and avoid loading up simply because the crowd wants a finish. Williamson will make the second half close, but the challenger can reach the final bell without surrendering the same opening.
Several rounds may be difficult to call. Judges reward clean punching, effective aggression, defence and ring generalship rather than the noise surrounding an exchange. Our guide to boxing’s 10-point must scoring system explains how those tight sessions are assessed.
The rematch should show whether the first defeat made Simpson smarter or merely more nervous. I am backing the former, with Simpson building an early lead and protecting it properly this time.
Prediction: Callum Simpson by unanimous decision.
Williamson vs Simpson 2 Undercard
Unbeaten light-heavyweight puncher Gradus Kraus faces Sean Hemphill in the leading support bout. Kraus has stopped 10 of his first 11 professional opponents, while Hemphill brings the experience of upsetting previously unbeaten British contender Mark Jeffers.
Middleweights Marío Silva and Tyler Christopher meet in another battle of unbeaten records. Billy Pickles is scheduled to face Max Curtis, while Billy Deniz takes on Alex Carter and Brad Casey meets Ross McGuigan.
The latest available listings also include Diego Krasimirov against Ashlee Eales, Hassan Azim against Jack Martin, Ben Rees against Marvin Tomlinson and Ted Jackson against Todd Tompkins.
James Dean Fury, the 20-year-old cousin of Tyson Fury, is due to make his professional debut on the card after signing with BOXXER. His opponent had not been officially confirmed at the time of writing.
The undercard has already changed during the build-up, including a listed opponent switch for Azim. Every bout and the running order should therefore be checked again immediately before publication.
What Could Be Next for the Winner?
Williamson was close to an IBF opportunity before the rematch clause intervened. Beating Simpson twice should put him back into world-level discussions quickly.
For Simpson, revenge would restore the belts and repair the only defeat on his record. A disciplined 12-round performance would also answer questions about how he responds to adversity.
A third fight would become an obvious conversation if Simpson wins narrowly or controversially. Nothing has been announced, and both camps may prefer a different route, but a one-all rivalry rarely stays quiet in British boxing.
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