The greatest experience of being involved in boxing is witnessing young people grow into strong individuals. As Bruce Lee once said, "Don't pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." Boxing is a tough sport, but it brings meaning and discipline to life.

Here is a photo of me after a sparring session with Commonwealth Heavyweight Silver Medalist Sean McGlinchey. Also in the picture is Glenn McCrory, a World Champion who sparred over 100 rounds with a prime Mike Tyson.

I've traveled across the world, but one of my favorite experiences was training at Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles, California, and meeting the great Freddie Roach. A hall-of-fame boxing trainer and still one of the best in the business, Freddie, despite having Parkinson's Disease, demonstrates the spirit of a fighter every day. He remains undefeated in his battle against his illness.

Being involved in boxing has given me a great life, allowing me to make friends from all around the globe! It’s a unique sport that brings people into reality—we all live, breathe, and die the same. In a boxing ring, there are no social classes, constructs, or differentiators that matter; there are simply two people ready to battle in the purest form of combat. Boxing for fitness is a fun workout, challenging, and a great stress buster.

I've had many privileges in boxing, but I've always enjoyed training with and learning from champions. In this picture is a friend and champion I had the honor of training with in Western Australia: Daniel Dawson. Daniel was a Muay Thai World Champion, having fought another legend, John Wayne Parr, three times. He was also a Kickboxing World Champion and won the WBF World Title in Boxing. Daniel is the first person in combat history to hold world titles in three different combat sports.

If you don't know who this is in the picture next to me, then we can't be friends!

All jokes aside, this is one of my boxing heroes, Roberto Duran, "Hands of Stone" (Manos de Piedra). Roberto is a hall-of-fame boxer. They say never meet your heroes because you'll be disappointed, but this was one of the best moments of my life. I was starstruck! As a 7-year-old, I had boxing books with Roberto Duran on the cover. He was the nicest person to meet, and I was surprised by how soft and welcoming his handshake was. Those same hands were absolute dynamite—he was a killer in the boxing ring.