LONDON, UK (February 14, 2024) – Alen ‘The Savage’ Babic takes on Steve Robinson and rising super middleweight star Callum Simpson is back in action on the undercard of the ‘Bad Blood’ showdown between unbeaten heavyweight rivals Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke on Sunday, March 31st at The O2 in London, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.

Babic (11-1, 10 KOs) returns to The O2 where he has previously recorded wins over Morgan Dessaux, former World Title challenger Eric Molina and Adam Balski. The popular Croatian heavyweight has built a cult following in the UK where he has amassed a series of impressive KO wins. His unbeaten run was cut short when challenging Lukasz Rozanski for the WBC Bridgerweight World Title in Poland last April. The 33-year-old will be looking to get back to winning ways when faces Newcastle’s Steve ‘Drago’ Robinson (6-2, 4 KOs) as part of a huge night of boxing in the capital.

Simpson (13-0, 9 KOs) was ringside to watch Zak Chelli capture the British Super Middleweight Title from Jack Cullen at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool in January. The Barnsley man is mandatory challenger for the British Title but before he has his crack at the Lonsdale belt, the 27-year-old will look to extend his unbeaten streak as he returns to London following a unanimous points win over Jose de Jesus Macias at York Hall in September.

Unbeaten heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke collide in a ‘Bad Blood’ showdown for the British and Commonwealth Titles on Sunday, March 31st at The O2 in London, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.

Florian Marku and Chris Kongo will settle their simmering welterweight rivalry following an explosive press conference altercation last year with more major undercard announcements coming soon.

This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Everlast, WOW HYDRATE, Integritas Property Group and VOW Nutrition.

Tickets, starting from just £30, go on general sale tomorrow (Thursday, February 15th) at midday. For more details visit: https://www.boxxer.com

LONDON, ENGLAND – (September 21st, 2023) – A serious threat awaits Callum Simpson in London next weekend as dangerous Mexican Jose De Jesus Macias steps in to replace an injured Germaine Brown on the BOXXER: Breakthrough card at London’s York Hall on Saturday, September 30th, live and exclusive on Sky Sports. 

In June this year, Macias faced Erik Bazinyan – ranked #3 in the world at super-middleweight by the WBC and #2 by the WBA – and gave him a scare, nearly spoiling Bazinyan’s undefeated record and the big-money Canelo Alvarez showdown that Bazinyan has been linked with. 

Macias (28-12, 14 KO’s) has made a career of derailing contenders and spoiling the night for home fighters – such as his jaw-breaking 2021 TKO of recent WBO world title challenger Steve Butler in Canada – and he’s aiming to do the same to Simpson (12-0, 9 KO’s) next Saturday during his first-ever visit to the UK. 

For Barnsley man Simpson – considered one of the best under-the-radar talents in the UK by boxing insiders before he signed with BOXXER earlier this year – it’s a chance to test his mettle against a fighter who has faced some of the division’s toughest talents and score a win which will put his name on the international radar.

“Callum Simpson already had a tough opponent for September 30th and now he has an even tougher one. Jose de Jesus Macias is an excellent boxer who has caused a string of upsets over the years and gave the world-ranked #3 super-middleweight Erik Bazinyan all sorts of problems in June,” said Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO.

“This is a serious test for Simpson. There aren’t many fighters who would step up to this level of opposition so early in their careers, especially on short notice, and I think he deserves a lot of credit for accepting this fight with Macias.”

BOXXER presents Simpson vs Macias in association with bet365 as the event’s bet365 Wildcard contest. 

BOXXER: Breakthrough at York Hall, London takes place Saturday, September 30 and airs live and exclusively in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports.

This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Everlast, WOW HYDRATE, Village Hotels and Fastline Steel Services.

LONDON, ENGLAND – (August 21st, 2023) – A trio of bouts were announced today for a BOXXER: Breakthrough event showcasing the top tier of British boxing’s young talent on Saturday, September 30th at London’s historic York Hall. 

Caroline Dubois challenges for the IBO World Lightweight Championship, undefeated cruiserweights Viddal Riley and Nathan Quarless contest the English Cruiserweight Title and super-middleweight standout Callum Simpson heads into a firefight with the always-aggressive Germaine ‘G-Man’ Brown, live and exclusively on Sky Sports. 

The stunning ascent of Caroline Dubois (7-0, 5 KO’s) scales new heights when the 22-year-old prodigy steps up to challenge for the IBO lightweight world title in just her eighth professional bout. The prodigious Dubois faces power-punching Mexican veteran Magali Rodriguez (22-6-4, 9 KO’s), a former WBA world title challenger and current WBC title holder who has a 40% finish rate in her professional victories.

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Last year, Dubois – a Youth Olympics champion in her amateur career – told interviewers she wanted to win a world title in 2023 in order to put herself in position for big fights with big-name opponents, naming both Mikaela Mayer and Katie Taylor as specific targets. With five stoppage wins from seven outings, Dubois has now blasted her way to contention and the chance to complete stage one of her plan.

Two of the country’s top young cruiserweights will put their undefeated records on the line in a North vs South battle for the vacant English Cruiserweight Championship when London’s  Viddal Riley (9-0, 6 KO’s) – himself a Youth Olympian like Dubois – faces Liverpool lad Nathan Quarless (12-0).

Riley rides a string of crowd-pleasing stoppages into the bout, with his last four bouts all having ended inside four rounds or less, while Quarless has boxed clever on his way to a dozen straight wins and heads to London intent on outfoxing the heavy-handed Riley on home soil. 

Also confirmed for the September 30th card today are the surging Callum Simpson (12-0, 9 KO’s) and the gritty Germaine ‘G-Man’ Brown (13-2, 4 KO’s), set to meet in what is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleasing super-middleweight showdown between two gunslingers who both like to occupy the centre of the ring and rarely take a backwards step.

Simpson was considered one of the best under-the-radar talents in the UK by boxing insiders before he signed with BOXXER earlier this year. The Barnsley man seized the chance to showcase his skills on Sky Sports and now has a growing army of fans across the country. On September 30th, former English super-middleweight champion Brown intends to test Simpson’s chin, stop the hype train and steal his momentum. 

“Caroline Dubois is exceptional and we’ve said ever since she turned professional with BOXXER last year that we expect her to become the future face of the women’s sport, not only in the UK but on the world stage. Her ambition is as big as her talent, but even I didn’t expect her to blast her way to a world title opportunity in just eight fights,” said BOXXER CEO Ben Shalom. 

“British and English title bouts seem to produce some of the best fights we see in this country and this English Cruiserweight Championship bout between Viddal Riley and Nathan Quarless has a little something extra to it. It’s a classic North/South rivalry, with the outstanding Riley on home soil in London and the slick Quarless heading down from Liverpool looking to silence the home fans.

“I also can’t wait for this fight between Callium Simpson and Germaine Brown. A lot of insiders are predicting big things for Callum and he’s got a very tough test here. Brown is the former English champion and both of them go forward and look for the finish, so we might see an instant classic here.”

“BOXXER: Breakthrough events are about showcasing the best young talent in Britain and giving centre stage to the next generation of champions. The three bouts announced today are just the highlights of what will be an amazing card from top to bottom.”

BOXXER: Breakthrough at York Hall, London takes place Saturday, September 30 and airs live and exclusively in the UK and Ireland on Sky Sports.

This event is presented in association with official partners Everlast, WOW HYDRATE and Village Hotels.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – (May 24th, 2023) – Savannah Marshall (12-1, 10 KO’s) is on track to land a record-setting 1-2 this summer as she follows October’s sell-out of The O2 London – the UK’s largest arena – by headlining a sold-out show at the AO Arena Manchester – the UK’s second-largest arena – on Saturday, July 1st.

The undisputed World Super-Middleweight Championship will be on the line when Marshall walks out to challenge defending champion Franchon Crews-Dezurn (8-1, 2 KO’s) and becomes the first female boxer ever to headline the UK’s two largest arenas in back-to-back events.

Previously set to occupy the co-headline slot, the undisputed world championship bout now takes main event status as Liam Smith postpones his rematch with bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr to recover from a minor but nagging injury which has dogged his training camp.

The two antagonists set a pay-per-view record for their weight class when they fought in January, a bout Smith won by fourth-round stoppage, and a stellar support card was put in place for their highly-anticipated rematch, which was also set to air as a Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view event.

With two world title fights – Liverpool’s Natasha ‘Miss GB’ Jonas (13-2-1, 8 KO’s) is set to defend her unified world light-middleweight championship at the event – plus a guaranteed-fireworks British super-middleweight title fight pitting Manchester man Mark ‘Kid Dynamite’ Heffron (29-2-1, 23 KOs) against Zak Chelli (13-1-1, 6 KOs), that stacked undercard now becomes a stacked event which will air live on the Sky Sports network.

And BOXXER has today also announced that every fan entering the AO Arena on Saturday, July 1 will be issued with a £10 or £20 food and beverage voucher (depending on value of ticket held), courtesy of BOXXER, plus priority access to tickets for the new Smith vs Eubank II date when announced and a 10% discount code to use in their priority access window. 

Also confirmed for the card is once-in-a-lifetime talent Ben ‘The Surgeon’ Whittaker (3-0, 2 KO’s), who became one of the most talked-about athletes in the country earlier this month when his outrageous showboating at BOXXER’s Birmingham event went viral online and had him trending at #1 on UK twitter for the night of May 6th.

Another prospect heavily-tipped by boxing insiders is Callum Simpson (11-0, 9 KO’s), who journeys from his native Yorkshire on July 1st to make his second BOXXER appearance following his stunning third-round stoppage in the same venue in March.

“I’m gutted and sorry to all the fans about the postponement. I’ve always said a fully fit Liam Smith beats Chris Eubank Jr every time. I tried training through because I was desperate not to let anyone down but I’ve had to withdraw from the bout in July following the latest medical assessment this week. I’ll heal up now and then be fully fit for later in the summer,” said Liam Smith. 

“I wanted BOXXER to put a big card together and they more than delivered, so I’m honestly delighted that BOXXER is keeping the card on without the pay-per-view, which doesn’t always happen. I would encourage all the fans to get behind Tasha Jonas and Savannah Marshall in their world title fights, and the other fighters in a brilliant card.”

Ben Shalom, BOXXER founder and CEO, saluted Smith’s courageous efforts to stay on the card and looks forward to another record-setting night in Manchester.

“Nobody is more disappointed than Liam Smith, he’s the ultimate professional but he had no choice but to postpone the bout. We’re working on a new date for the fight and hope to announce that in a week or so. In the meantime we’ve got a huge night taking place in Manchester on July 1st,” he said.

“Savannah Marshall headlining the UK’s two biggest arenas in back to back fights is a first for a female fighter and shows the strength of the women’s sport today. She’s fighting for the undisputed world super-middleweight championship against the USA’s Franchon Crews-Dezurn – a fight which could headline any arena in the world. 

“Manchester’s own Mark Heffron defending his British title against Zak Chelli, Natasha Jonas laying her own world titles on the line, plus a once-in-a-generation talent like Ben Whittaker and the outstanding Callum Simpson takes on Boris Crighton – this is a card stacked with great fights and we are very excited for it.

“We understand a lot of fans will be disappointed to hear the Smith-Eubank rematch is being postponed, so we’ve arranged a free voucher for every fan in the venue to have a drink on us on fight night, plus they will receive priority access to Smith vs Eubank II tickets for the new date when it’s announced, and a discount on those tickets.”

Eubank Jr’s promoter Kalle Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing said a new date for the Smtih vs Eubank rematch will will be announced imminently. “We have been informed that Liam Smith is not fit to fight on July 1st. We are awaiting further medical reports before we announce the new date shortly.”

A new date for the rescheduled Smith vs Eubank II bout – which follows Smith’s stunning stoppage of Eubank in January – will be announced in the near future.

LONDON, ENGLAND – (April 21, 2023) – Rising star Callum Simpson will take a step to greatness when he returns to the ring on June 10 at London’s iconic York Hall – as Adam Azim headlines in a WBA Continental Super-Lightweight Championship bout with Aram Fanyan.

Barnsley super-middleweight Simpson (11-0, 9 KOs) sensationally ripped up his reputation as the ‘best kept secret in British boxing’ when he emphatically stopped Celso Neves last month in Manchester on his BOXXER debut.

And the prodigal 26-year-old will be intent on creating more headlines when he ventures to the capital for the first time in his career this summer – live, in the UK & Republic of Ireland, on Sky Sports.

Unbeaten prospects Aaron ‘The Silencer’ McKenna (16-0, 8 KOs) and Shakiel ‘Dr Steel’ Thompson (10-0, 6 KOs) meet in a mouth-watering middleweight contest for the vacant WBC International Middleweight Championship.

The road to title contention also leads Frazer ‘Big Fraze’ Clarke (6-0, 5 KO’s) to York Hall for what will also be his first appearance at the fabled British boxing venue. 

Having last week received news that he will be the next mandatory challenger for British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley, the 2020 Olympic medallist will sharpen his tools in the ring on June 10th ahead of his summer title showdown.

Cruiserweight prospect Viddal Riley (8-0, 5 KO’s) and his antagonist Anees Taj (7-3, 5 KO’s) have some unfinished business to attend to following their February war ending unsatisfactorily in a fourth-round doctor’s stoppage due to a cut above Taj’s eyebrow.

Elsewhere on the card, brother of headliner Adam, welterweight Hassan Azim (6-0, 3 KOs) looks to extend his unbeaten start to life as a professional.

English champion Sam Gilley (15-1, 7 KOs) will be out to light up his native East End after impressing last time out at Ally Pally last November.

The ‘Magic Man’ dropped Sean Robinson in the sixth en route to a unanimous points victory to successfully defend his title

Rhys Edwards (14-0, 4 KOs) produced a breathtaking performance in his win over Brian Phillips in Manchester last month – and the undefeated Welsh super-bantamweight will be back in action on June 10. As will Iranian featherweight Razor Ali (7-0, 1 KO), who wowed at Wembley back in February with his third round stoppage of Hector Avila Lozano.

And the series 8 winner of popular TV series ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’ Joshua Gustave will be on display too. The Ilford middleweight is 4-0 as a professional with all four victories coming from fights at York Hall. 

This event is presented in association with official partners Everlast and Wow Hydrate.

Tickets are now on sale at BOXXER.com and are expected to sell out fast.

Manchester, England – (February 23, 2023) – A thrilling English championship bout, two Olympians and the promotional debut of an exciting super-middleweight prospect have today been announced for the undercard of the BOXXER Fight Night: Manchester event taking place Saturday March 25 at the AO Arena.

Headlined by Lawrence Okolie (18-0, 14 KO’s) defending his WBO World Cruiserweight Championship against undefeated, 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist David Light (20-0, 12 KO’s), today’s announcements revealed a March card packed with quality from top to bottom.

English title fights have a deserved reputation for producing some of the most exciting contests in boxing and that tradition looks set to continue in the evening’s chief support bout when Michael Gomez Jr (18-1, 5 KO’s) and Levi Giles (13-0, 3 KO’s) enter the ring to contest the vacant English Super-Featherweight Championship.

Michael Gomez Sr was a firm favourite of fight fans in his home city of Manchester thanks to his all-action, no-nonsense fighting style. His son Gomez Jr – the current Central Area Super-Featherweight title holder – is continuing the family business and will have the Manchester Arena crowd behind him for his English title tilt.

Manchester’s storied arena played host to many a Gomez Sr bout and also hosted Gomez Jr’s professional debut in 2014, making it a fitting scene for his bout against the undefeated Grimsby man Giles, who is taking the first title shot of his career in this ten-round contest.

Hard-hitting heavyweight prospect Frazer ‘Big Fraze’ Clarke (5-0, 4 KO’s) – a bronze medallist for Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – is another fighter who counts Manchester’s arena as his second home, with three of his five professional bouts to date having taken place there. 

His sixth outing is by far his toughest test to date. Experienced American Rydell Booker (27-7-1, 14 KO’s) has shared the ring with some of the biggest names in the sport. He lost a decision to Hall of Fame heavyweight James Toney in a 2004 world heavyweight title fight and went the distance with the highly-accomplished Filip Hrgovic and Kubrat Pulev.

Clarke’s fellow 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall – now 2-0 in the professional ranks – also returns to the ring in Manchester, with her opponent set to be confirmed in the coming days. 

Hotly-tipped super-middleweight prospect Callum Simpson (10-0, 8 KO’s) – the reigning Central Area champion – recently signed an exclusive promotional agreement with BOXXER. Yorkshireman Simpson trained alongside former world champion Josh Warrington when he entered the professional ranks and has stopped 80% of his opponents thus far. 

Other names confirmed for the March 25th card today include Welsh featherweight Rhys Edwards (2-2), who faces Liverpool’s Brian Phillips (12-3, 3 KO’s), and the return to the BOXXER ring of welterweight Samuel ‘True Sensation’ Antwi (14-2, 6 KO’s), middleweight Aaron McKenna (15-0, 8 KO’s) and former Team GB member and Tri-Nations amateur champion Harvey Lambert (1-0), with opponents for the trio to be confirmed in the coming weeks. 

The confirmed card for BOXXER Fight Night: Manchester is as follows – with more to come:

12 x 3 mins  WBO World Cruiserweight Championship

Lawrence Okolie vs David Light

10 x 3 mins Vacant English Super-Featherweight Contest

Michael Gomez Jr vs Levi Giles

8 x 3 mins Heavyweight Contest

Frazer Clarke vs Rydell Booker

6 x 2 mins  Featherweight Contest

Karriss Artingstall vs Linzi Buczynski

6 x 3 mins  Super-Middleweight Contest

Callum Simpson vs TBA

8 x 3 mins Middleweight Contest

Aaron McKenna vs TBA

6 x 3 mins Welterweight Contest

Samuel Antwi vs TBA

6/8 x 3 mins  Featherweight Contest

Rhys Edwards vs Brian Phillips

4 x 3 mins Super Welterweight Contest

Harvey Lambert vs TBA

The event takes place Saturday, March 25 and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Everlast, WOW HYDRATE and Village Hotels.

LONDON, ENGLAND – (February 16, 2022) – BOXXER has signed undefeated Central Area Super Middleweight champion Callum Simpson (10-0, 8 KO’s) to an exclusive long-term promotional agreement, it was announced today. 

The Yorkshire powerhouse will make his debut at the upcoming BOXXER event taking place Saturday, March 25th at the AO Arena Manchester in a bout which will air live in the UK on Sky Sports.

Fighting out of Barnsley, Simpson, 26, has scored eight of his ten wins inside the distance and secured the Central Area title in October last year with a stunning second-round stoppage which started with a lightning-fast flurry and ended with a fight-finishing right uppercut.

Simpson started training in amateur boxing at the age of 10 and turned professional in 2019, training for some time alongside former world champion Josh Warrington at Dicky’s Gym in Batley, Yorkshire.

“I’m incredibly excited to join the BOXXER stable. I was blown away when I visited the Smith vs Eubank event with my manager and ever since that night I’ve thought of nothing but walking out into an arena like that. It was incredible,” said Simpson. 

“I think the fans are really going to like my style. I’ve knocked out my last eight opponents and the last five haven’t gone past the second round – I like to get the job done quickly. 

“I’m the current Central Area champion and I’m looking to collect more belts this year. So everyone in the super-middleweight division, I’m putting you all on notice!”

BOXXER CEO and Founder Ben Shalom said Simpson was an obvious signing for the brand. “There’s been a lot of talk in British boxing about Callum Simpson. He’s a crowd-pleasing fighter with potential to go far. He has a big fanbase in his hometown of Barnsley and we think he’ll be a huge hit with fans across the UK and beyond. We’re looking forward to seeing what he can achieve, starting on March 25 at the AO Arena in Manchester.”

Tickets for BOXXER Fight Night on Saturday, March 25 go on sale at midday on Friday, February 17 via Boxxer.com.