The sport of boxing has always been synonymous with weird and wonderful stories about fighters and their deeds outside the ring.

Lightweight legend Beau Jack shined shoes before he became a full-time professional boxer and returned to his original trade after failing to save much of his prize-fighting winnings.

And what about "Tricky" Rick Frazier, the New York policeman who took time off from his day job to lose in two rounds to Roy Jones Jr in 1999.

Judging by who he fought in his lone world title tilt and his chosen profession, Frazier hardly seems like a man intent on an easy life.

Brixton light-middleweight Richard "The Secret" Williams is another who squeezes in as much as possible during every day.

While training for a fight on the undercard of Naseem Hamed's comeback on 23 March, Williams spends the majority of his mornings helping the community.

His particular vocation is providing food for elderly citizens - meals-on-wheels is how he describes it.

Despite the fact that he is a world champion - Williams holds the lightly regarded IBO title - his form of transport is not some flashy car but the tube.

"I'm just a delivery man," the likeable Londoner told BBC Sport Online.

"I was at a counselling course which I was doing part-time and I wanted a part-time job where I could use my skills - speaking to and dealing with people.

"I went to an agency and they told me about meals-on-wheels and that was three years ago."

As someone brought up in the South London area of Stockwell, Williams also sees the job as a way of participating in the community.

While the easy going nature of his temperament is making the 30-year-old a popular figure in British boxing, Williams has received plaudits for the way he fights.

His style, which combines patience, balance, defence and power has reminded boxing observers of the way fighters from the 1950s and 60s used to box.

In fact, former world middleweight champion Nigel Benn said that Williams reminded him of a prime Michael Watson.

"I was a big fan of Michael so when I read what Nigel Benn said, I thought 'wow, big praise indeed.'

"I also like to watch a lot of boxing - people like Don Curry, Marlon Starling, Livingstone Bramble, Ray Mancini and Aaron Pryor," added Williams, who says that trainer Don Davis has also added some moves to his repertoire.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Williams story is that he is entering his prime relatively late for an athlete.

He turned professional at the age of 26 and despite making huge strides since in terms of the level of competition he has fought, he still has only fought 16 times.

His amateur career began at the age of 14, although he took a break when he reached the age of 18.

"I gave it up because I was working, I had a company car and I discovered women!"

Although the break, which lasted till he was 22, cost him a few years of experience, it may have helped his overall maturity.

"I was fairly young when I realised I had a talent for boxing and that was probably a bad thing.

"I realised I could get away with not training properly sometimes - that was my downfall sometimes."

His lone defeat as a professional came in his third fight against Michael Alexander, the result, according to Williams, of sweating down to welterweight.

"On the night I just didn't perform very well. He was the better man."

Crucial decision

Williams now faces a crucial decision as to which direction he takes his career.

On the one hand, he can chase world title shot against the likes of Oscar de la Hoya or Fernando Vargas, the big name Americans in the division.

Or he could ask his promoter Barry Hearn to seek matches with the quartet of light-middleweights in Britain who are currently making names for themselves.

Gary Lockett, Wayne Alexander, Takaloo and William's stablemate Steve Roberts are all highly rated and could provide him with big paydays.

"I got a baby boy now so my first priority is to provide for him, so whatever fight brings me the most money is the one I will take.

"I like Steve and Barry Hearn has already said that that fight would not happen unless the money was huge.

"But I would fancy a fight with any of the other three - they're all good fighters and no fight is easy but I'd have no reservations.

"When they (television companies) start to write the �100,000 cheques, then those fights would become a possibility."