From 13 years old, I was treated like a professional.

My career has been very difficult. People respect the fact that I haven't just turned professional like Amir Khan or Audley Harrison, and it's been, 'Here's a million pound' - for spoilt brats to fight a couple of fights.

My first boxing memory is watching Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard on television.

I find it quite sad to see the likes of Evander Holyfield carrying on past their sell-by date.

In my career, I really set out not to develop too strong a persona so that you wouldn't have a hard time imagining me in any given role. I wanted to pleasantly confuse the audience on who I was.

It is indeed difficult to make a living as a writer, and my advice to anyone contemplating a literary career is to have some other trade.

As one of the first employees at a small cellular phone start-up called Nextel, I gained firsthand experience in how a business grows from an idea to a company that, at its peak, employed many thousands.

I'm lucky my parents are incredibly supportive and generous people who have put so much faith in me as I jump into this crazy business. It really is so far outside their comfort zone in terms of what a profession can be.