A new book about Hunt's life, Born to Fight, co-written with former Fairfax sports journalist Ben McKelvey, is a harrowing tale of a young boy who was repeatedly beaten by his sadistic father.
Hunt recalls being hog-tied before being whipped by an apple branch until the skin was ripped from his back. "That meant no school for three weeks, so that was okay," he laughs. "My old man was ruthless. He terrorised us. He'd start with the mental games before he even found the implements to hit us with. He once tied me up in the garage with my hands above my head and beat me with a frigging broom handle. I got away and my brothers came after me. They said fucking get back there or we're all gonna get it."