Whether it was watching Heaney or his own father, hard graft is a valuable skill Litherland has learned along the way.
A world away from the tens of millions of pounds Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua expect to make if their fight goes ahead in December, small hall fighters have to cover a lot of their own costs and even sell tickets.
“I probably walked away with no money,” Litherland said of his most recent fight against experienced Honduran Jayro Fernando Duran in July.
“But I don’t care about the money at the moment, I just want to get my name out there.”
What made it even tougher was losing his grandmother in the run up to the fight.
“On Tuesday we were burying my nan, and on Saturday I was fighting,” he said.
“I was very close to my nan. She went to all my [amateur] fights. Ones she didn’t go to, she would phone me straight afterwards.”
He said during the fight he kept his emotions in check, but it all poured out after the win when he went over to his fans.
The music for his ring walk even turned into a tribute to his grandmother, even if it was an accidental one.
Having already chosen Freed from Desire by Gala Rizzatto, a friend found video of her singing along to the tune at his sister’s wedding.
“I’ve got to stick with it now, haven’t I,” he said.