BBC's return to Boxing confirmed for 20 December, but seriously, BBC Three?

Callum Simpson defends European, British and Commonwealth titles against Troy Williamson in Leeds on December 20

The BBC and BOXXER today announced that Callum Simpson will defend his European, British & Commonwealth Super Middleweight Titles against Troy Williamson in a headline showdown at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on Saturday, December 20, broadcasting live and free-to-air on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

The event, titled The Future Now, marks the next chapter in the BBC’s partnership with BOXXER, showcasing world-class boxing to a new generation of sports fans across the UK.

In one of the most anticipated domestic clashes of the year, Simpson (18-0, 13 KOs) returns to his homeland of South Yorkshire following his explosive European title win over tough Ivan Zucco at Oakwell Stadium, Barnsley in the summer.

English Super Middleweight Champion Williamson (21-4-1, 14 KOs) is ready to play the Grinch and spoil the Christmas party. The Darlington-boxer is riding high after his destructive ninth-round stoppage win over Mark Dickinson to capture the English belt. With a new lease of life in the super middleweight division, the former British Light Middleweight ruler is hungry to continue his resurgence and make a statement this festive season.

BBC proclaimed that 'Live and free-to-air on BBC Three and iPlayer, the event will bring boxing to new audiences and inspire the next generation of fans'.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: “We are thrilled to bring another huge night of British boxing to the audience live and accessible across the BBC. Callum Simpson and Troy Williamson are two outstanding fighters and this will be a huge showcase for British boxing. BBC Three’s young audience loves live sport and this is exactly the kind of event that will capture the attention of new fans and create unforgettable sporting moments.”

BBC see BBC Three as a channel which has a younger audience, making them more likely to watch live Boxing. But surely to maximise audiences BBC must have at least considered the possibility of showing the event on BBC One or Two. BBC Three's audience share is 0.31% and the channel reached 9million+ July 2025, which makes it comfortably the least watched channel of BBC's four main linear channels. This does little to suggest that the BBC deal with BOXXER will reach any bigger audience than BOXXER's deal with Sky Sports did.

Ben Shalom, BOXXER Founder and CEO, said: “Callum Simpson v Troy Williamson is exactly the kind of fight we want to deliver for a national BBC audience. It’s a massive 50/50 domestic title clash between two elite fighters at the top of their game. Leeds will be electric on December 20, and we’re excited to showcase these incredible athletes to a whole new generation of fans. There are more big announcements coming, watch this space.”

Callum Simpson said: “Leeds is going to be bouncing with the Barnsley Army on December 20. Troy’s a tough fighter but this is my time and I’m ready to prove again why I’m one of the most exciting boxers in Britain right now. To headline live on the BBC is massive and we’re putting Yorkshire boxing back on the map at the same time.”

The show in Leeds will be broadcast on the same evening as the finale of Series 23 of Strictly Come Dancing, meaning that BBC One was never a possibility, but surely BBC Two was.

BBC recently acquired the rights to Friday night matches from the Bundesliga, but so far has only shown them on the BBC website, why is there such a lack of vision to make sport a huge part of the regular BBC linear schedules again?

With the absence of a regular weekly sports programme like they used to show like Sports Night, BBC has very little opportunity to build anticipation for the December 20 show, and casual viewers are unlikely to switch to BBC Three. Whilst BBC Three may have a younger audience, it could be very strongly argued that they will be away from the television screens on the final Saturday before Christmas, and more likely to be out enjoying the festive period.

It will be interesting to see the reaction to BBC's coverage on December 20, and the general feel of the wider boxing community in reaction to today's announcement.

GRNDSTND, by Matt Hooper