Before the defence of his British and Commonwealth belts, the 28-year-old reflects on the tragic death of his sister
“I’ve heard her voice in training sometimes,” Callum Simpson says quietly as he looks up in his apartment in Dewsbury and remembers his sister Lily-Rae who, just over four months ago, died tragically following an accident on a quad bike at the age of 19. “I hear her when the sessions are hard, especially during running sessions, and her voice will say: ‘Just keep going, keep pushing.’”
West Yorkshire looks beautiful on a bitterly cold yet sunlit morning. A new year has just begun, and there is still snow on the ground, but the same raw pain churns though Simpson. The 28-year-old boxer is a composed and impressive man who will defend his British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles against Steed Woodall in Sheffield on Saturday night. It is likely to be a difficult test against a determined domestic rival who has lost only two of 22 bouts – particularly as Simpson and his family are still besieged by grief.
Continue reading…
Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jan/11/callum-simpson-lily-would-want-me-to-carry-on-i-know-i-made-her-proud-through-my-boxing
Author : Donald McRae
Publish date : 2025-01-11 08:00:06
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
