When the call came from Liverpool, there was no way Ben Williams was going to say no. He might have just started his training camp for his MF welterweight title fight against Jarvis Khattri tonight, but when it is the club you love on the other end of the line, there was only going to be one answer.
Williams is one of the most recognisable faces on social media. He has over 900,000 followers on TikTok and 250,00,000 followers on Instagram, but away from his day-to-day life as an influencer, his big love is Liverpool Football Club.
An avid fan thanks to his dad from a young age, the Dubliner had already done some modelling work for the club when the Reds came calling with another request. This time they wanted Williams to star in their Christmas advert.
Training was paused, and Williams was on a flight to Liverpool back in October for a full day’s filming. And, unlike his previous work with the club, this opportunity presented the orthodox fighter with the chance to rub shoulders and work alongside some of the club’s past and present greats.
Luis Diaz, Kostas Tsimikas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Olivia Smith and Fuka Nagano all feature in the advert, as do legends Ian Rush and John Aldridge. But for Williams, who is also one half of NewEra, the most surreal moment of the experience came when he was joined on the decks by Jarell Quansah.
“It was amazing,” he tells the ECHO, recalling the day. “I did my first shoot with Liverpool last year, but that was just modelling.
Then I got the call to come over and do the Christmas shoot. Next thing we are being told Luis Diaz, Trent and Gomez will be there.
“It was a surreal experience, and when I saw the video, they smashed it. Everyone back home was loving it. There were a few of the old players there as well. I had Jarell Quansah on the decks with me.
“Looking back now, it was just so surreal. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be doing that type of stuff, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Dance with U, a NewEra track from Williams and Karl Durkan, is also the soundtrack of the advert. “We’ve been fans forever, so having our song be a part of the campaign is amazing,” he added.
Nicknamed ‘Bumblebee’, Williams has established himself as a bit of a knockout artist in Misfits, and he emphatically won his last fight when he stopped Warren Spencer. Now, he is ready to produce a repeat performance against Jarvis.
“Training has been good,” he said. “A great camp so far. I have been out here in Dubai, and I have managed to get some spars in. I am feeling good. The facilities over here are amazing.
“I have two wins already this year, and this one is for the championship title. My last fight was in Dublin, a huge arena; now I want a repeat performance.
“I had home pressure last time with all the Irish fans coming out in support; it won’t be like that this time, but I will just be going out and doing what I do best.
“This is my fourth fight in a year now. I also have a lot going on with the music, and it can be tough, as the last camp I was also on tour. This time it has been full focus on boxing.”
