Troy Williamson still remembers the empty feeling in his stomach as he refreshed his phone again and again, trying to reach his father in Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa swept through the island where the British boxer’s father, siblings live.
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“We had no idea what was going on when no one could get through to us,” Williamson recalled. “Worst case scenario [was] They are no longer here. “
The Darlington boxer has not heard a word for four days as he takes on Callum Simpson live on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer on Saturday.
He trained and waited, but when images of storm damage spread on social media, he feared the worst would happen.
“It feels like a long time, especially when you see how bad it is,” the 34-year-old told BBC Sport.
Eventually, a message popped up on Facebook Messenger from his father, Gerald Atkinson, who had somehow found a Wi-Fi signal after his phone line went down.
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Everyone breathed a sigh of relief before reality set in.
The hurricane destroyed the house and the family-run sports bar.
G’s Cool Spot is well known among locals and British holidaymakers visiting the coastal town of Black River in St Elizabeth. It is now in ruins.
“It destroyed their homes and businesses. They currently have nowhere to stay. They are working hard to repair and rebuild,” Williamson added.
“The sports bar is basically gone. It was washed away. It needs to be completely rebuilt.”
The hurricane hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on October 28, causing 28 confirmed deaths.
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Approximately 1.5 million people (more than half of the country’s population) are affected.
Lenders have provided a total of up to $6.7bn (£5bn) over three years, as part of wider international aid efforts, to support Jamaica’s recovery from Hurricane Melissa.
Williamson himself has launched a fundraising campaign and has received donations, including £1,000 from an auction of signed gloves, to help cover basic living costs such as food, clothing and temporary accommodation.
His brother will fly out in December and Williamson hopes to follow in his footsteps.
Before getting on that plane, Williamson must face Barnsley’s unbeaten Simpson – a tall order at a testing moment in his own career.
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‘I didn’t get a proper promotion’
Williamson (right) will challenge British, European and Commonwealth champion Simpson at Leeds First Direct Arena [Getty Images]
Williamson, a kid obsessed with Mike Tyson who didn’t tie his gloves properly until he was 17, fought in 68 amateur bouts, boxed for Team GB and won medals on the international circuit.
As a professional he held the prestigious British title at light welterweight but says his career has “stalled” after losing four of his last six fights.
Williamson blames his recent poor performance on the way his career has been managed.
“I don’t believe I was properly promoted. Even when I won the British Championship, I never had a reliable promoter,” he said.
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“I blame it all on a little town called Darlington in the North East. I just think that while we have some great boxers, they don’t know the North East.”
He pointed to Pat and Luke McCormack, Savannah Marshall and Josh Kelly – all top talent but spread across different promotion agencies – as evidence of why the region has struggled to build a unified platform.
He added: “With the talent we have you could sell out a stadium in the North East but we don’t have the same sponsors and that’s not ideal.”
A victory over the 29-year-old Simpson would revive his career, but more importantly, the money he makes from the fight would go a long way toward helping rebuild the family home 4,600 miles away.
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“The entire village and island was basically destroyed, so it’s going to take a while to rebuild,” Williamson said.
“But I’d love to go out after the game.”