Callum Simpson became Barnsley’s first born and bred European champion when he recovered from two early knockdowns to stop Ivan Zucco in the tenth round at Oakwell.
In front of more than 10,000 fans who provided Simpson with superb support throughout, it was a remarkable fight for the super-middleweight title.
Simpson was knocked down for the first time in his professional after about ten seconds, but responded well in a frantic first round which saw both made trade heavy blows.
The home fighter seemed to be getting on top but was floored again by a left-handed Zucco punch in the final seconds of the third round.
Simpson had a series of better rounds and Zucco hit the deck early in the eighth but the referee did not rule it as a knockdown, with the Italian appearing to slip while taking a punch.
The fight finished in the tenth round, with Simpson backing Zucco into the corner in front of his own coaches and flooring him twice with a series of brutal uppercuts. When the visiting fighter went down for the third time in the round, the referee waved the fight off to jubilant scenes in Oakwell.
