The clash between Ivan Zucco and Callum Simpson at Oakwell Football Ground in Barnsley, UK, was an insane, thrilling, and dramatic match. Unfortunately for the many Italian fans tuned in on DAZN hoping to see the EBU super-middleweight belt go to our boxer, Simpson prevailed via TKO in the tenth round, despite having been knocked down twice. Still, Zucco can walk away with his head held high because, despite the loss, he fought like a lion and made us proud.
Focused to the point of looking like a statue during the ring introductions, the Italian puncher started the most important fight of his life in the best possible way, flooring his opponent within seconds of the opening bell with a strong left hand.
Simpson, however, quickly recovered and appeared composed and calm, even rocking Zucco twice later in the round — first with a left uppercut, then a left hook. Iconic was Zucco’s reaction: he stared at his opponent with wild eyes, yelling at him to come forward.
As expected, the hometown fighter doesn’t use his size — enormous for the division — to box at long range. He prefers to impose a frantic pace, forcing his opponent into long, grueling exchanges where he excels at landing hooks inside the guard.
Zucco struggled with this suffocating style in rounds 2 and 3, but just before the third round bell, he landed a stunning counter left, thrown with impressive poise, that sent Simpson into a crisis and down to the canvas. This time it seemed Simpson was truly hurt, but the bell saved him.
In the middle rounds, the fight became a classic clash of “quality versus quantity”: Simpson dominated in volume, applying suffocating pressure and holding control for longer, but Zucco landed the cleaner, more effective shots whenever he broke free from the giant’s hold.
After the halfway mark, Zucco was still very much in the fight and likely held a slight edge — at least to a neutral judge — but the ring’s pace began to take its toll more on determined Ivan than on his opponent.
Zucco kept opening rounds strongly, even occasionally backing Simpson up with his one-two, but would fade as the rounds wore on, allowing Simpson to seize momentum and systematically corral him against the ropes in the final minute.
Gradually, his energy drained, as reflected in Zucco’s body language — slumped on his corner stool, increasingly drained — until the fateful tenth round sealed the match.
Simpson pinned him in a corner and, seeing him defending passively, lined up four crushing uppercuts that forced Zucco to collapse to his knees for the referee’s first count. Zucco bravely tried to continue, but two more similar knockdowns prompted his coach — his father Andrea Zucco — to wisely throw in the towel, avoiding serious damage.
The Oakwell crowd erupted in a relief-stoked roar as Callum Simpson celebrated, yet still showed respect by raising Zucco’s arm and praising his proud, unyielding performance.
Ivan Zucco can return home knowing he delivered a great performance and honored Italy and boxing. There’s certainly regret for the missed opportunity, but we must highlight that this match represented a massive leap in quality compared to the 21 previous opponents he faced as a pro.
From this loss, Ivan should draw lessons — and being the intelligent, disciplined athlete he is, he’ll surely use them to come back stronger. What weighed heavily on him was his unfamiliarity with maintaining such an infernal pace for every minute of every round. That intensity eventually drained him completely.
Callum Simpson, on the other hand, had a dream night in front of his fans and can now aim for ever-greater achievements. He resembles a Golden-Era Jarrett Hurd translated to the super-middleweight division: his physique is impressive compared to his rivals, and his relentless pressure breaks them down minute by minute.
Today he also revealed some vulnerabilities and perhaps got a bit lucky by being knocked down just seconds before the bell. Nevertheless, dethroning him as European champ won’t be easy. Will Ivan Zucco be the one to try again in the future, once he’s back on track? Surely the Italian and British crowds would love a rematch!