He took on many tough tests during his professional boxing career including facing a young Amir Khan, who went on to become a world champion.

Now ex-boxer Jackson Williams, from Norwich, is preparing for the incredible challenge of running across Australia.

He is aiming to set a new world record by completing the 2,500-mile run in less than 60 days.

Mr Williams, who owns Tower Gym in Norwich, will be raising money for local children's charity Break,

The current Guinness world record for completing the route on foot stands at 67 days, but Mr Williams thinks he can complete it in between 54 and 60.

He said: 'The run is in recognition of Break's 50th anniversary, so I want to run 50 miles a day to mark the immense contribution the charity has made to children to Norfolk in all those years.'

The 37 year old is no stranger to epic physical challenges and has already cycled the route to check out the terrain.

'The cycle took me 18 days. There's a lot of dangers involved, including the five carriage long trucks we'll be running towards. 'There's also kangaroos, snakes and spiders. Australia has a lot of deadly species.

'The biggest challenge will be the heat, especially by the time I'm finishing in Perth.'

Norwich Evening News: Former boxer, Jackson Williams, who is planning a 4,000km run from Sydney to Perth for the Break charity. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYFormer boxer, Jackson Williams, who is planning a 4,000km run from Sydney to Perth for the Break charity. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

The ex-boxer has already raised the £19,000 to fund the trip and is hoping another £5,000 can be raised through charity boxing shows before he leaves.

Jimmy Lee will be accompanying Mr Williams on the trip in a camper van which the pair will sleep in.

He is in charge of the route and has been speaking extensively with emergency services in Australia to help minimise the risks.

He said: 'When you're going along the outback there's no wifi and it will be very difficult to communicate with the emergency services if we get into trouble.

Norwich Evening News: Former boxer, Jackson Williams, who is planning a 4,000km run from Sydney to Perth for the Break charity. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYFormer boxer, Jackson Williams, who is planning a 4,000km run from Sydney to Perth for the Break charity. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

'We could be off grid for five days at a time with no electricity and the weather will be incredibly hot.'

He added that the hardest part of the route would be getting out of Sydney due to road trains driving at speeds of 100mph plus and the mountainous terrain.

He added: 'I know [Jackson] is fit enough and determined enough to break the record, but its also down to whether the elements will allow us to.'

Norwich Evening News: Former boxer, Jackson Williams, who is planning a 4,000km run from Sydney to Perth for the Break charity. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYFormer boxer, Jackson Williams, who is planning a 4,000km run from Sydney to Perth for the Break charity. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2018)

Number crunch

Jackson aims to run 50 miles a day to mark Break's 50th anniversary.

He will run 2,500 miles taking approximately 5,000,000 steps in total.

The whole run will burn about 515,000 calories or around 7,000 – 10,000 a day.

He aims to complete the route in 54 days, running for eight to nine hours each day, which is a total of 486 hours from start to finish.

When he starts in October the temperature will sit around 20c, rising to an average of 30c by the time he crosses the finish line.

On the way he is likely to encounter around 2,400 species of spider and 140 species of snake.

The route crosses 3 territories and Jackson predicts he will get through 5 pairs of trainers.