IPSWICH, England – Jack Williams may not be the biggest name fighting on this Saturday’s promotion in Ipswich, but his story might live the longest in the memory.

Williams, against Argentina's Fernando Joaquin Valdez, will be fighting for the third time as a professional. His past two contests came at Ipswich’s Trinity Park, but he will fight on Saturday at Portman Road – the home of Ipswich Town FC in front of 20,000 fans.

This will be a memorable occasion for the local fighter, and at Friday’s weigh-in he received the loudest cheer as he hit the scales. Perhaps the home supporters cheered so loudly for him because they know how hard he has worked to get to this point, and what he has been through to get there.

Williams was homeless for a large period of his childhood, when living out of the back of a car with his mother, father, and two younger brothers. 

“We went through a lot,” the 29 year old told BoxingScene. “Two weeks prior to going homeless, I lost my baby brother and I was the one who found him at eight years old. Obviously, it traumatised me in a sense. I was so young; I didn't really understand much. Obviously, we went homeless; we were in like a seven-seater van for a few months and then we went up and down the country in loads of different hostels.

“My mum and my dad, there were three of us at the time – three young kids under the age of eight. It was hard work for them and I appreciate what they've done for us in a sense, where we are today. But yeah, then not long, about four or five years ago, I lost my mum. It was hard; very hard. And I was the one who found her as well, so I've had two lots in a sense. So yeah, a lot has happened in the years, but to be fair, it's made me who I am today. So I wouldn't change it – would not change it.”

Williams had a successful amateur career, winning two national titles before deciding to turn professional, but his time in the unpaid ranks was not easy. Living on the road meant that he could never fully commit himself to one of the many amateur clubs he visited up and down the country.

“I started boxing really young, but obviously moving up and down the country, you didn't get settled in nowhere really,” he said. “We settled down and then we had to move to another club. But yeah, when we got settled into Ipswich, after about a year or two of kickboxing, we went back to one of our old amateur clubs and then that's when we competed again.

“My dad was into boxing. So me and my brother, at the age of three to four, we used to go down to the club because that's all he'd done. So we used to go with him and that's when it started off to be fair. But my dad didn't think that me and my brother would take it this far how we have today, because we've got our own boxing club now out of Ipswich. My brother runs it. He's a full-time coach there now and it's great.”

Williams’ brother will be in his corner on Saturday at Portman Road. Williams is looking to push on with his professional career. He is also pushing on in a division that includes the heavy-hitting Jack Turner, and the British junior-bantamweight champion Brandon Daord.

“I believe I'll win a British title and anything after that is a bonus in a sense,” he said. “At super flyweight there are not many in our weights, but I believe I can win a British title, and anything after that is a bonus.”