I live on my own and that suits me best. Having lived a life where you constantly have to be alert, where sleep is not exactly favorable for business, and where your so called friends are the same people who will turn around and stab you in the back… is damaging, it’s something that can’t be undone. I do sleep well at night now, and I have a great relationship with my son, but I am most at ease when I am on my own, just focusing on myself.

I’ve moved on for good, and I live to do better now. As a coach, I make it a priority to talk to the kids and encourage them to stay on the right track. Many of the people I used to know have either been killed, fled the country or ended up as drug addicts. I know how easy it is to sink into crime if you come from a troubled background. There were times where I thought the underworld was my destiny. But it was always more of a lifestyle than my family.

Change didn’t happen fast. Over the course of seven years, in my late twenties, I slowly removed myself from my criminalties. I was ill, in and out of hospitals during this period, and being weak in a world where weakness is not an option, it puts you in a very vulnerable position. It’s an eye for an eye. When you are successful everybody is your friend; when you are weak you are an easy target and the same people will put you out of business. Realizing this from my sickbed put my life into perspective. The transition was also, in part possible, due to protection from “above” with some powerful people who held their hands over me. They taught me absolute loyalty and that is one virtue that will always stay with me.

In any case, you have to be a fighter in every sense. My whole life I had to fight to defend myself just to survive. And looking back, it manifested quite early. When I was just a little boy I stood in front of the TV mimicking Bruce Lee. I bought VHS tapes with Thai boxers and later the movies of Jean Claude van Damme. Today, I have pushed myself to my limit, but have achieved perfection. And yes, it comes at a price: I have metal plates in my back, bolts in my hips, a reconstructed knee and one blind eye. I have suffered a blood clot in my brain. Still, I would fight Mike Tyson today if I had the opportunity. After all, it only takes one good punch to knock out your contestant.