The fighting pride of Barnsley took on Darlington's Troy Williamson

We'd all expected a more elegant, tactical boxing strategy, one forged by eight months at Rob McCracken's elite teaching base in Sheffield.

But Callum Simpson decided revenge was a dish he was going to serve cold - very cold.

The fighting pride of Barnsley took on Darlington's Troy Williamson ready for a bloody war, rather than dictate through the style and ringcraft we'd expected from a boxer who had switched his training team for the Team GB aristocrats at the EIS.

Callum Simpson and team Pic courtesy of Chris Dean via Boxxer | Boxxer

placeholder image — Callum Simpson and team Pic courtesy of Chris Dean via Boxxer | Boxxer

Nobody had seen that twist coming.

And while there was the odd moment it looked a risky venture, he thoroughly deserved his unanimous decision rematch win on a Boxxer show at Leeds' First Direct Arena.

Simpson wasn't the widely-anticipated behind-the-jab purist, carefully campaigning behind the range of his longer arms.

He was the ruthless win-at-all-costs mauler confident in matching and ultimately outshooting a fighter who is known for that very same style.

Callum Simpson goes to war Pic courtesy of Chris Dean via Boxxer | Boxxer

Williamson's sporting hero is Mike Tyson and you can see a measure of the menace in his demeanour.

However, his pre-fight assumption that Simpson struggled to boil down to the super middleweight level of 168 pounds was misguided.

The 6ft 3ins former Longcar Primary School pupil was comfortably ahead on all scorecards at the end of an exhausting battle, reclaiming the British and Commonwealth titles which Williamson had taken off him by stoppage at the same venue in December.

The judges saw it, this time, as 116-112, 117-112 and 115-113.

Callum Simpson v Troy Williamson weigh in pic by Chris Dean for Boxxer | CHRIS DEAN FOR BOXXER

After the cards were announced, Simpson paid a respectful tribute to his opponent.

He added: "What everyone doesn't know is that, in the last fight, I perforated both my eardrums in the first round. I was an absolute mess so that fight for me was just trying to survive.

"But I didn't make any excuses. I've come back better, learned from it and I knew I was going to get the win tonight."

With admirable class, Williamson admitted "the better man won tonight, hats off to him."

Promoter Ben Shalom said the well-supported South Yorkshireman now wants to fight for world titles after succeeding in all the domestic and European divisions.

"I can't wait to come back to Barnsley with these fans" said Shalom - hinting perhaps of an Oakwell return.

Simpson, who has spent much of his camp in a hotel in High Green, had been slight favourite with the bookies to reclaim the belts.

And the 29-year-old appeared to start the bout as fans had expected, dictating from distance.

But something switched. Simpson radically changed tactics, taking Williamson to the ropes in a savage exchange, despite a clash of heads which led to a cut around the Reds' fan's left eye.

By round three Williamson, 34, looked in huge trouble after absorbing a barrage of some heavy body and head shots.

The reigning champion soon had a second wind as a sequence of ugly exchanges on the ropes continued.

Both warriors were wearing each other down, smothering each other's work, rarely parting with the cleanest of the shots. At the end of the fifth, McCracken told Simpson: "You have him where you want to...stay calm."