So, my story is nothing earth shattering, really. I have not been shot, knifed, or involved in a deadly ninja standoff where there were 26 ninjas, minimum, and I had to rely on Boxing skill alone to defeat the enemy, save the girl, and escape with the plans to the Death Star.

I will say that my decision to leave corporate America and grow a second skin in an industry that I had passion for but no real professional familiarity was a bit ballsy on my part. All the while, carrying a seven person family on my back. Yep, I’ve got five kids! Here we go!

I was always a fairly skilled athlete in most sports I locked into. I would spend several years playing for FC Delco Soccer and solidifying my place in Track and Field, taking titles such as PIAA District Champion, #1 seed in PIAA State Championship and also placing in the Penn Relays. Admittedly, I loved playing these sports but they lacked some of the more direct confrontations I was looking for. I enjoyed facing off with singular opponents and the banter that would take place between my opponent and I. There’s a certain sense of danger that was magnetic and I couldn’t get enough.

I can remember my first time watching a boxing match, at the age of 17, and being absolutely captivated by the slick minded, elusiveness that these warriors displayed. So, I set out to find a Boxing gym shortly thereafter and was placed in the ring on my very first night. The fella that stepped in opposite me was an amateur fighter that was much smaller than me in stature and really posed no threat to me at the time. Well, that changed shortly after the bell rung. To this day, I’m not sure if he missed with anything. My nose was sitting in the corner somewhere, blood running freely, confidence completely shot, yet I enjoyed the hell out of it! Yes, idiocy at its best!