For four days, I didn’t know if my family was alive – Williamson

Troy Williamson still remembers the hollow feeling in his stomach as he refreshed his phone again and again, trying to reach his father in Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa had torn across the island where the British boxer’s father, brothers and sisters lived.

“When nobody could get in touch we had no idea what had happened,” recalls Williamson. “The worst case [was] that they weren’t here any more.”

For four days, the Darlington fighter – who faces Callum Simpson live on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on Saturday – heard nothing.

He trained and waited, but feared the worst while images of the storm’s destruction spread across social media.

“It felt like a very long time, especially when you saw how bad it was,” the 34-year-old tells BBC Sport.

Eventually, a message flashed up on Facebook Messenger from his father, Gerald Atkinson, who somehow reached a wi-fi signal after the phone lines had failed.

There was a sigh of relief, before reality set in.

The hurricane had wiped out the house and family-run sports bar.

G’s Cool Spot was well known among locals and British holidaymakers visiting the costal town of Black River in St Elizabeth. Now it’s a ruin.

“It demolished their home and business. As it stands they have nowhere to live. They’re trying to repair and rebuild,” adds Williamson.

“The sports bar is gone, basically. It’s washed away. It needs a full rebuild.”

The hurricane struck Jamaica on 28 October as a category five storm, resulting in 28 confirmed deaths.

Approximately 1.5 million people – more than half of the nation’s population – have been impacted.

Lenders have together put forward up to $6.7bn (£5bn) over three years to support Jamaica’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa, alongside wider international aid efforts.

Williamson himself has launched a fundraising campaign and already received donations – including £1,000 from the auction of a signed glove – to help cover basics like food, clothing and temporary accommodation.

His brother will fly out in December, and Williamson hopes to follow.

Before he can board that plane, Williamson must face Barnsley’s unbeaten Simpson – a tough assignment at a testing moment in his own career.

A Mike Tyson-obsessed kid who did not lace the gloves properly until 17, Williamson racked up 68 amateur bouts, boxed for Team GB and won medals on the international circuit.

As a professional he claimed the prestigious British title at light-middleweight, but says his career has “stalled” after four defeats in his past six bouts.

Williamson puts his recent bad run down to the way his career has been managed.

“I don’t believe I’ve been promoted properly. I’ve never had a solid promoter, even when I won the British title,” he says.

“I put it all down to being in the North East, in a small town called Darlington. I just don’t think they recognise the North East when we have some tremendous boxers.”

He refers to Pat and Luke McCormack, Savannah Marshall and Josh Kelly – all top talents but spread across different promotional outfits – as evidence of why the region has struggled to build a unified platform.

“You could sell out a stadium in the North East with the talent we’ve got, but we’re with different promoters which isn’t ideal,” he adds.

A victory over Simpson, 29, would revitalise his career but, more importantly, the purse from his fight will go a long way in helping rebuild a family home 4,600 miles aways.

“The full village and island is basically ruined, so it will take a while to rebuild,” says Williamson.

“But I’d love to go out there after my fight.”