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But contrary to what some people seem to think, I was never a bully. I was just a hard man.

The last time I threw a punch was in primary school, and that was probably a slap.

He punched me. If that's his best punch, he'll be in trouble some day.

I was bullied by a few people who were much older than me. I went to camp to learn boxing. I was 12, and my coach was 24. I felt like if I could fight him, I could stand up to anyone.

In high school, I could get beaten up all the time, or I could be something better. I became the court jester.

I wasn't a fighting kid or a causing-trouble kid. I was just one of those cheeky, crazy kids running around.

Though I was not a belligerent kid, I do not think I ever passed up a good opportunity to fight.

Normally, I could hit hard enough, as anyone who studied my fights might have known. But the impression was that I was essentially defensive, the very reverse of a killer, the prize fighter who read books, even Shakespeare.

I don't start fights, but sometimes I don't walk away from them. It hasn't happened in a long time, but it's happened, and I regret those times. I should have been more in control of myself, stronger, more adult.