Karriss Artingstall overcomes Linzi Buczynskyj | Callum Simpson blasts down Celso Neves: ‘He folded like a deckchair’ | Boxing News

Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall and Barnsley puncher Callum Simpson were both strong winners at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday night.

Callum Simpson blasted down Celso Neves to stop him in just three rounds on the Lawrence Okolie vs David Light undercard.

Relishing his step up to a big arena show, Simpson entered the ring to raucous cheers from his crowd of supporters.

Simpson and Neves charged into one another at the opening bell. Simpson welcomed that approach even as both opened up with punches.

Simpson drove Neves backwards, hammering his opponent down to his knees.

Neves manage to rise but Simpson stayed on him, unloading a full array of punches.

He beckoned Neves in for a moment and then slammed through a heavy right uppercut.

He rocked the head and found the body but somehow Neves made it through the opening session.

Neves had to spoil in the second, holding Simpson in clinches when he could. The action quietened and Simpson’s arms began to look tired.

But his punches rapidly recovered their zip in the third round.

Simpson shook Neves, a spiteful uppercut striking through within a combination. He was hurting his opponent again and rattled Neves with a flurry to the head.

But it was when he stepped in that Simpson slammed a punishing right in flush. Neves flopped forward to the canvas, stunned badly.

He only just beat the count but still looked unsteady when the referee asked him to step forward and he had to be stopped at 1-36.

Simpson was surprised even to see him get up.

“He just collapsed like a deckchair in front of me,” he said. “The referee saved him there.”

The Barnsley prizefighter though has stepped into the limelight and made exactly the impression he wanted.

Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall also enjoyed a great reception from the crowd. From nearby Macclesfield, this was a homecoming bout for Artingstall, one of GB’s stars from the Tokyo Games.

Linzi Buczynskyj however, who’s won the Central Area title and only lost once in her professional career, was an experienced, competitive opponent for Artingstall to take on in just her third pro outing.

Bolton’s Buczynskyj started cleverly, moving off, obliging Artingstall to come after her. Buczynskyj dug in her right and countered with a little uppercut as Artingstall attacked.

But the Olympian likes to apply pressure. Soon she was directing Buczynskyj along the ropes and unloading her hard, arrow-straight southpaw cross.

He lead right hook was solid and Artingstall cracked it into Buczynskyj’s body before whipping it into the head.

Artingstall was landing the stern shots and winning the rounds. But Buczynskyj was always combative, needing to chase the bout, came forward into ring centre to swing for her opponent in the sixth and last round.

Artingstall though was a clear 60-55 winner.

Harvey Lambert, a talented former GB boxer from Hull, won his second pro bout in the first contest of the evening, handily outpointing Casey Brown 40-37 over four rounds.

As soon as he left the ring he was told his wife had gone into labour and Lambert had to rush off.

He hurried to a car to start the 80-mile drive home to be with her.

Shakiel Thompson put Robert Talarek under sustained pressure at the end of their contest. He had busted up his opponent but Talarek resolutely stayed on his feet and saw out the full six rounds, losing the decision 59-54.

Middleweight Aaron McKenna worked Jordan Grant over, busy throughout their six-round contest. He lined up clean shots to take a dominant 60-54 points win.

A well-matched featherweight bout saw Penygraig’s Rhys Edwards and Liverpool’s Brian Phillips trade furiously, the pair exchanging combinations, first one attacking, then the other.

Phillips struck with a brace of solid shots but the Welshman countered viciously.

Edwards finished with a few more touches of style in his work but still in the last round he stood and slugged it out with Phillips.

Edwards won 60-55, but the fight was closer and harder fought than that scoreline suggests.

Watch Lawrence Okolie vs David Light live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event from 8pm