UNLEASH THE REAL KILLER: MATT MCCALLUM

Former Northern Area Middleweight and Northern Area Super Middleweight Champion Matt McCallum returned from a brief retirement to face the man who took his super middleweight belt from him, this time at light heavyweight. Were he to avenge this loss, “The Wolf” McCallum would be King in the North for a record three weight reign.

Recent English Light Heavyweight challenger Adam Hepple halted McCallum in the second round back in 2023 and this time it was personal- a fiery build up to a bout which suited the taller Hepple who looked the more natural 175lb fighter. “Some of the stuff he said after the first fight, it made it personal. I needed to hate him, I knew I needed to switch back on, to unleash the real killer McCallum”, Matt told me.

Southpaw McCallum took the action to Hepple but after a close first stanza McCallum’s higher work rate, working to the body and head, started to find its range with the double backhand left particularly effective. The first three rounds were very close, Hepple looked heavier-handed but only unleashed in one and two shots.

McCallum utilised effective movement, keeping his head mobile and punch variety unpredictable, a style he calls "difficult to score, but effective". With Hepple hoping to land a fight changing big shot, McCallum was taking the rounds halfway through. I had it five rounds to one, three of which were very close.

Suddenly, in round six, Adam Hepple caught McCallum seemingly having him hurt and trying to cling on. Weathering the storm, by the end of the round McCallum was firing back, “I’ve got a brilliant chin and fortunately when I need it, it’s there”, he said. Had Adam Hepple bust a gasket? Not immediately, as the seventh went his way.

In the eighth, pushing through the worrying pressure rather than simply swing his way back, calculated aggression ended with a body shot which withered Hepple to the canvas. Standing behind the referee, waving Hepple to get up, The Wolf smelled blood, “he couldn’t handle it, I thought fucking hell I’m gonna stop this cunt”.

To his credit Hepple did get up but straight away McCallum was busy working the body, head and a right hand to the rib cage dropped Hepple a second time in quick succession. He did not make the count. In fact, he did not get out for some time as Matt McCallum proudly celebrated a fantastic win and became the first man to win three Northern Area Titles in three different weight categories.

“My Dad is the only man in history to fly a microlight plane to America and back; I’ve always wanted to follow in his footsteps, so now I’m the only man ever to win three Northern Area Titles in three different weights. I feel very proud of myself, very honoured too.”

“Will I retire? The team are lining up the English Title, there’s a few names there for me. I feel good at light heavyweight but at the moment I don’t know. We will see. I feel like I’ve got a lot to offer.”

There will be appetite for a trilogy fight and while McCallum is cagey on his future, he didn’t exactly hold back on that idea, “I do like him, nothing but respect for him I think he’s a nice lad; we can have it at cruiserweight and I’ll be the first man to win the Northern Area title at four different weights and I’ll beat him again!”