Callum Simpson's supporters give him lift before rematch
Callum Simpson says his fans never turned their back on him when he suffered his first professional defeat.
Quite the contrary - they were there for him more than ever before.
They had watched him drop to the canvas four times at Leeds' First Direct Arena, following punishing blows from his nemesis Troy Williamson, last December.
It wasn't an easy watch for his huge support base, especially after Williamson went back to Darlington with Simpson's British, Commonwealth and European super-middleweight titles.
The belts left Simpson - but the fans did not.
"Their support was absolutely unbelievable," said the Barnsley-born boxer, currently living and training in Sheffield.
"Of course they were gutted as they knew how much the titles meant to me.
"But they never turned their back on me. I had so many messages on the lines of, 'Keep Going.'"
Simpson, 29, said the single defeat his first 19 professional appearances does not define him - and that his supporters recognise that.
They will be there on Saturday when he fights Williamson again at the same Leeds venue.
"People say fans are fickle when you lose, but mine are the complete opposite" he says.
"I had more messages of support than when I won the three titles!
"Now, I can't wait for the rematch, they give me all the motivation I need."
Simpson has personally sold more than 1,500 tickets for his second clash.
"Barnsley fans are different - the atmosphere they create is ridiculous" said Callum, who has 13 knockouts to his name.
"It doesn't matter if I am fighting at Oakwell, Sheffield, Leeds, London or Manchester, they make it feel like a home fight."
Williamson, however, is confident he can win again, saying that the first fight showed him he didn't have to land cleanly to knock Simpson down.
"It’s time to put things to bed and get on with my career," he says.