Jack Littlefield was 15 years old when he first stepped into the ring for his debut amateur boxing match. It was in Parkes and Jack was facing a more experienced opponent on his home turf. While naturally a little nervous, Jack was still more relaxed than he’d ever felt running onto a football field or basketball court.

It was then, before he’d even exchanged blows, that Jack’s father and coach David Littlefield, said he saw the makings of a future champion.

“He was so relaxed. I could just tell, mentally, he had something there,” said David. “He hadn't even had a fight, this was the day of, but I remember saying to him you could make a career of this. I said, if you want to do this, you could do it for a long time.”

Boxing is something that seems to run in the Littlefield family, David’s grandfather fought in the ring and David always felt drawn to sport. In his early 20s he went and learnt the trade under Bobby and Garry Williams, taking part in a number of amateur bouts, before family and children saw him step back from competition.

“I had a handful of fights and I enjoyed it, but then life sort of got in the road,” said David, who although he had stopped competing was never too long out of the gym.

“I never went away from it completely, I trained and stayed in with all the guys and sparred and trained and progressed... it wasn't until Jack at about 14, he started taking an interest in it and so I started training him and as I was training him, I started competing again.

“I had a handful of fights in my early 20s and then 16 or so fights in my mid to late 30s. I'm now 42 and I still like to have one or two bouts in the masters every year now, so you can basically say Jack reignited the bug for me to get back into it.

For Jack, who grew up watching his father train and spar, boxing was initially just a way to get a bit of fitness outside of football training. But once he donned the gloves, he was hooked.

“I just showed him a few skills to get him a bit fitter and then he just really took to it and liked it,” said David.

“He never really took to any sport like he did to boxing and he always like sport and played different sports - basketball, touch footy, rugby league. Now it has become a big part of our life.”

Since that first fight in Parkes, which saw him win by split decision, Jack has had over 50 amateur bouts, with 32 wins. He and David travelled all over Australia to make fights, an apprenticeship David believes will stand in good stead for his professional career.

“He didn't dodge anyone in the amateurs, and he fought all the tough guys and he's done his apprenticeship the right way,” said David.

“There were plenty of losses, plenty of close losses, but with ten fights of experience he was fighting the best elite amateurs in the country and I think really the experience he gained, often fighting them in their own backyard for titles, area titles, state titles and all that. I think it has really put him in good stead and that tough road he had in the amateurs he finished with an Australian Amateur Championship win in the light middleweight division.”

Jack too sees every fight, win or lose, as just another step getting better.

“Obviously you don't want to lose, but you see the big picture with the losses,” he said. “And if you are fighting good people and learning along the way then it is all worth it.”

Jack went pro in July 2018, and to date has a 6-0 record. There have been a few minor injuries and setbacks along the way, but Jack has his sights firmly set on an Australian title.

“I've got to work my way up still, I'm 19th in Australian rank 3rd in NSW in the professional ranks, so I've got to work my way up, but I want to get those titles and hopefully get overseas,” said Jack.

Working your way up those ranks requires discipline and a strict training regime. Jack is in the gym for 12 sessions a week, at least three hours a day, with daily runs on top of that.

“It is not for the faint-hearted the training we do,” said David. “It is not like boxercise, it is real old school training. We do plenty of running, plenty of bag work and plenty of sparring; You can't beat the old school training and I think Garry and Bobby Williams instilled that in me.

“I think it is one of the hardest sports in the world. It is certainly not something you could ever force anyone to do, or push them to do, they've got to really, really want to be there and be a competitive boxer or not. And that's what makes it special and so unique. I say to the boys if it was easy everyone would be doing it.”

The training may be hard, but for Jack it is all worth the pain.

“I love fighting. The challenge. The competitiveness. Other people have other passions and sure I could be out partying all the time or move away to the city, but I just think it is worth it all to be able to box,” he said.

“And I have big dreams with it, so I'll see where it takes me.”

Jack’s younger brother Finn has also developed a love of the pugilistic arts and with two amateur bouts last year, is now another Littlefield with his sights set on big things.

“I haven't forced them into any of it,” said David.  “Finn has been in the gym with us for years and years and has been pestering me about fighting, but he had to wait until he was 14. He seems to be enjoying picking up the skills.

“It is just such a unique thing to do; there's so many things that boxing can relate to in life. There's a lot of sayings and quotes that come from boxing — too many to mention now — but a lot of those skills boxing has taught me mentally I have put into life in general, so that is definitely the best part of it for me.”