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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.

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.

Australia have opted against recalling batter Usman Khawaja for the vital third Ashes Test – a match Ben Stokes has called the most important game in his time as England captain.

England, 2-0 down after defeats in the first two Tests, must win in Adelaide to keep their hopes of regaining the urn alive.

Defeat would mean a fourth successive series loss in Australia, extend England’s run without winning the Ashes to at least 12 years and heap significant pressure on the tourists’ management.

The positions of Stokes, head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key would all come under significant scrutiny.

“Throughout my career I’ve been involved in quite a few big moments. This is another one and I’m really, really looking forward to it,” Stokes told BBC Sport.

“I’ve enjoyed the build-up, I’ve enjoyed the pressure of what this game means. As it’s come closer and closer, it’s become a lot easier. That’s how I deal with big things and big moments – look at it front on, take it on and deal with all the emotions that come with it.

“What else are you supposed to do? Don’t let the moment overcome me or feel like it’s going to control me. I’ll go out, put all that stuff to one side and do what I need to do in every situation I get put in, and try my absolute best.”

Pat Cummins will return to lead Australia after missing the first two Tests as he recovered from a back problem.

Pace bowler Cummins and off-spinner Nathan Lyon are added to the Australia team that won the second Test in Brisbane, replacing Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett.

It means no return for opener Khawaja, who missed the Test at the Gabba because of back spasms. Khawaja turns 39 on Thursday and may have played the last match of an 85-Test career.

Travis Head and Jake Weatherald will continue as the opening partnership

Australia were 2-0 ahead in the last Ashes in the UK in 2023, only for England to fight back to draw 2-2.

Cummins said his team have learned a “few lessons” from that experience and was also adamant he is fit enough to bowl without restrictions in Adelaide.

The 32-year-old has not played since the tour of West Indies in July after scans detected the back issue.

Match fitness could be crucial in the high temperatures that are forecast for when the match starts on Wednesday (23:30 GMT Tuesday).

“I had 16 weeks completely off bowling, made sure the bone heals well and from there it’s ramping up,” said Cummins.

“Normally you ramp up over maybe three or four months, but that would have meant missing the Ashes.

Australia XI for third Ashes Test: Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland.

In the aftermath of the defeat in the second Test in Brisbane, Stokes said his dressing room is “no place for weak men”.

England have spent part of the time since that loss on holiday in Noosa, then had three days of training in Adelaide.

The tourists have made one change to their side, with Josh Tongue coming in for fellow pace bowler Gus Atkinson. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has again been overlooked in favour of all-rounder Will Jacks.

All-rounder Stokes took over as captain in 2022 and his partnership with McCullum yielded 10 wins in their first 11 matches in charge.

After those first 11 games, England have won 16 and lost 15 of their next 33. They have not won any of their five-Test series against Australia or India.

Since pace bowler Mark Wood was ruled out of the series with a knee problem, Stokes remains as one of only four members of the England squad to have been part of a previous Ashes tour.

The 34-year-old has suggested that some of the newcomers to Australia had struggled with the atmosphere of the series.

“I’ve got an understanding that quite a few guys in the dressing room won’t have that to fall back on,” said Stokes. “What I feel like I’ve had to do is fall back on my own experiences, and voice that to the group.”

Defeats in Ashes tours often bring sweeping changes to England teams. A loss in Adelaide would not only heap pressure onto Stokes, McCullum and Key, but also raise questions about the international futures of a number of players.

“I’ve probably used my voice more than I have at any time in the past three and a half years,” said Stokes.

“We are in a situation where we know we need to win three games. There are a few things I felt the group needed to hear, but also a few things I felt like I needed to say to be able to go out there with a very clear head about this week.

“I’ve definitely left no stone unturned in terms of the mental side of the game, and what we’re going into.

While this golfing year will be remembered for historic and thrilling action, manoeuvres off the course in 2025 also provide a highly significant legacy.

A group of new bosses are laying groundwork for rapid evolution, if not revolution, in the professional game.

We know that the world’s best players create captivating sport, as Rory McIlroy’s dramatic Grand Slam completing Masters victory, Scottie Scheffler’s ruthless domination that has led to him being named PGA Tour player of the year, and Europe’s sensational Ryder Cup victory all proved in 2025.

There has been unprecedented churn with new bosses installed at the PGA Tour, PGA of America and LPGA while Mark Darbon has just completed his first full year as head of the R&A.

Guy Kinnings has been in charge of the European Tour group for less than two years and on the breakaway LIV Golf League Scott O’Neil is only months into his role as Greg Norman’s successor leading the Saudi-funded disruptors.

And the presence of Darbon, O’Neil and the PGA Tour’s new chief executive Brian Rolapp at golf’s top table is most fascinating. All three have come from outwith the traditional confines of the sport they now run.

Rarely, if ever, has golf had such an influx of fresh perspectives and they have hit the ground running. It means 2026 is a transitional year and by 2027 the pro game could be significantly altered.

By taking charge of the game’s premier tour, Rolapp has become a key figure. He moved from the NFL, one of American sports’ greatest success stories.

He insists that sport requires three crucial components; competitive parity, simplicity and scarcity. He feels golf currently only has one of those ingredients.

Competitive parity is a real strength, the number of potential winners at any tournament is greater than in most sports. But golf’s structure is hard to follow and it is ubiquitous, with multiple tournaments across the globe every week.

“How do you make a competitive model simple to understand?” Rolapp said at a recent CEO Forum event in Florida. “And how do you make scarce events that actually fans want to follow?”

Already it is speculated that future PGA Tour seasons will start after the February date for the Super Bowl and finish before then NFL restarts in August. “Yeah, I could see that,” Rolapp said.

“Competing with football (NFL) in this country for media dollars and attention is a very hard thing to do do,” the American said.

He has an outsider’s view of how professional golf is structured. “It has grown up as a series of events that happen to be on television,” he told the forum.

Rolapp has assembled a Future Competitions committee chaired by 15 times major winner Tiger Woods. Given “more questions than answers” they are expected to report back with a blueprint for 2027 onwards in a matter of months.

There appears little prospect of unification with O’Neil’s LIV tour or a coming together with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.

But the existence of a breakaway tour that is still populated by some of the most recognisable figures, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm included, does not help Rolapp’s desire for a calendar that is simple to understand for general sports fans.

It also adversely affects the quest for scarcity of product to stimulate anticipation among fans.

O’Neil, though, has made a fast start to his LIV tenure. New backers such as HSBC, previously staunch supporters of establishment events, are eye-catching additions to their sponsorship portfolio.

His next priority is the same one that sits at the top of Kinnings’ in-tray at the DP World Tour’s Wentworth headquarters.

Between them they have to solve the so far intractable issue of punishing DPWT players for playing LIV events. Ryder Cup stars Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton are at the centre of this.

They are appealing against fines and bans. The hearing has not been scheduled, which enabled both players to represent Europe at last September’s Ryder Cup.

But the can is running out of road, it cannot be kicked much further. Locker room talk is that this could be be settled by April.

But how is anyone’s guess. And LIV players being able to compete in DPWT events as members without sanction would have huge implications for the global game.

How would Rolapp react if his strategic partners in Europe move closer to golfers from the rival LIV league?

O’Neil has already made a significant move to increase their shotgun start tournaments from 54 to 72 holes. This might help LIV’s desire for official world ranking points.

Certainly the OWGR’s Trevor Immelman, another new boss, seems more amenable than his predecessor Peter Dawson. But duration of tournaments is not the biggest sticking point.

O’Neil has to convince the official rankings body that there is sufficient promotion and relegation into and out of LIV to ensure it is not a closed shop exclusive to those who have been recruited on lucrative contracts.

The move to 72 holes was more about providing a format that more effectively prepares their players for the four major championships.

At the R&A, Darbon has injected a new dimension to The Open by introducing a last chance qualifying competition for a dozen players to be staged on the Monday of championship week.

There will be one last berth available. The field will include the two highest ranked non exempt players, golfers who lost in final qualifying play-offs and the runner-up at the Amateur Championship.

Darbon came to the R&A from rugby union’s Northampton Saints and this development for the 154th championship at Royal Birkdale next July is a sign that some old conventions are being kicked to touch.

More pressing now is announcing a venue for the 2028 championship. Time is pressing for what will be the 156th staging of golf’s oldest major and one that will have an unfamiliar later date because of a clash with the LA Olympics.

It means Open week will start on 30 July. Diminishing daylight a fortnight later than usual suggests a Scottish venue would be best – Muirfield, Carnoustie or even Turnberry? Or a return to England’s most northerly Open outpost at Royal Lytham and St Annes.

Turnberry would be the most interesting and controversial selection. There are conflicting pressures given its ownership (US President Donald Trump) and infrastructure issues (lack of transport and accommodation) remain, so the Ayrshire course is the outsider in every respect.