Mixed fortunes for two top South Yorkshire boxers
Has a huge South Yorkshire boxing derby moved one step closer?
Barnsley boy Callum Simpson's Saturday night, fifth-round stoppage of game Ghanaian Elvis Ahorgah seems the perfect warm-up for a domestic Summer dust-up with Sheffield's evergreen Liam Cameron.
Such is Simpson's rising profile, Cameron isn't the only potential candidate, either, with Saul Alvarez's name being chucked into the mix.
The Reds' fan is keen to host an Oakwell show, for his big fight of 2025. And he did his case no harm at Wembley Arena at the weekend, when he successfully defended his Commonwealth super-middleweight title, for the second time.
With just two weeks' notice, Callum took charge of the duel from the off, landing a variety of spiteful attacks.
Ahorgah's chin lasted the course, until a left hook in the fifth seemed to destabilise him.
A right hand followed and the unpredictable but fatigued African was on the floor, referee Howard Foster looked into his eyes, and stopped him on his feet at 1:53.
Afterwards, Simpson thought he'd made hard work of the win and had been caught by some "daft shots" because he'd not listened to his trainer.
But he said his promoter Ben Shalom was: "Looking at potential top 10 world-ranked opponents. Whether it is a British defence, European, world title eliminator, we've got plenty of options. I will fight anybody."
As for a Cameron South Yorkshire derby, he said: "If (Ben) Whittaker don't want it (a rematch with the Manor fighter) we'll take him to Oakwell."
Then the Barnsley lad - on a high after two KOs in three weeks - mischievously added: "If not we'll get Canelo to Oakwell!"
Either contest would be a barnstormer for the South Yorkshire boxing public, presumably in May or June.
Callum, 28, would go into it with an eye-catching record of 17 wins and no defeats.He took around 200 fans to Wembley - now they'll be looking forward to a huge contest much closer to home.
Shalom said he had never seen such support from the Barnsley faithful, at such short notice, and he looked forward to seeing 25,000 of them fill Oakwell to see the "special talent."
Another special South Yorkshire talent, Junaid Bostan, had to settle for a draw on Friday after he and Bilal Fawaz had disputed the English super welterweight title at the 02 Indigo, London.
One judge scored the fight 97-93 in favour of Fawaz, another sided with the Rotherham man 96-94, the third judge recording a 95-95 verdict.
Initially, Bostan looked crestfallen after the rulings, but angrily denied suggestions that Fawaz had broken his spirit.
Junaid's promoter Eddie Hearn injured his man's pride by suggesting the London-based, Nigerian-born underdog should have won. But that will only strengthen the 22-year-old's desire to organise a rematch, at a small hall in Sheffield, quickly.
That too will fill plenty of seats, as South Yorkshire's boxing boom continues.