Last year, thrilling, brutal stoppage wins over Harry Scarff, Liam Taylor and Pat McCormack earned Walker the British, Commonwealth 147-pound titles to move him up the world rankings. If not for WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley's exploits, the 30-year-old would have been a shoo-in for British Fighter of the Year honors.

On Saturday, Walker (17-3-1, 8 KOs) returns home to Wolverhampton. Tickets flew out for his fight with Smethwick's Sam Eggington (36-9, 20 KOs) and a loud, partisan crowd will fill the city's Civic Hall as DAZN exclusively stream what is expected to be an all-out war in the West Midlands.

Lots of fighters say that they love their work. Walker genuinely means it.

“It's my dream job. I'm a tiler by trade and I hate it,” Walker told The Ring.

“I've worked some silly hours. I've been up in the morning running, going to work all day and then getting to the gym at night. I've done it the real hard way.

“Now, I’m in Manchester. My partner's off work, I’m training with one of the best coaches in the world [Jamie Moore] and alongside some of the best lads that you'll ever meet. I'm just in awe of my lifestyle and my life.”

Walker is in an especially good mood, knowing he will be sharing the ring with a kindred spirit this weekend.

He will also do it at Eggington's preferred weight. The fight has been made just a pound inside the junior middleweight limit of 154 pounds.

For a few weeks after his dramatic December win over McCormack, it looked like Walker would secure a rematch with the last man to beat him in IBF welterweight champion Lewis Crocker. When boxing politics shelved those plans, Walker was given the opportunity to return to Wolverhampton for the first time in four years.

The search went out for a well-known, entertaining opponent. As far as Walker was concerned, the weight was bottom of his list of concerns. Longtime junior middleweight Eggington ticked both boxes.

Beating his Midlands rival won't help Walker's welterweight ranking but it will cement his position as a fan favorite and do his future negotiating powers no harm.

“Sam [Jones, Walker’s manager] was like, “Look, we'll try and get it at 152 pounds,” but I said I'm not even arsed. Get it at 154, it doesn't bother me. What's half a stone between two men?” he said.

“I've fought at light heavyweight in the amateurs so look, it's not an issue.

“Welterweight is my weight. I'll get this fight out of the way and I'll drop back down. I've still got IBF and WBA [ranking] belts in the 147-pound division so I'll drop straight back down, defend them or hopefully get a world title shot, something of some substance but this is just a fantasy fight.

“There were names on the table and I chose Sam. That was the one I wanted because it sells. It's a massive fight. He's a big name from where we're from, I’m a big name and it just made sense. Look at the numbers. It's sold out within a week of going on sale.

“It just sells, doesn't it? We don't have to do no s—t talking, we get on.”

Eggington has been one of British boxing’s most exciting fighters for the best part of a decade.

The Birmingham man’s low profile may lead those who don’t keep up with the sport's day-to-day happenings to assume Walker’s team have dragged up a recognisable but unmotivated name from the past for his homecoming but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Eggington has been around for a long time but still just 32 as rumors suggest he is fit and on form in the gym. He has lost only two majority decisions over the past six years - to Dennis Hogan and future WBA junior middleweight world champion Abass Baraou - and will relish the idea of fighting somebody who comes looking for him.

None of that matters to Walker. Confident fighters rarely spend much time discussing what their opponents may or may not do and Walker enters fight week concentrating solely on himself.

“Listen, if he wants to go toe-to-toe, we can. I'll beat him any way he wants to fight me, it’s just on him which way he wants to get beat,” he said.

“I'm not overly arsed about how he wants to fight. If he wants to box me, then I'll just walk you down and beat you up. If he wants to stand and have it, we will. It's both our bread and butter. We both love it.

“It's just that I'm fresher and I've got less miles on the clock.”