Orphaned at age one, Fortune was raised by his grandfather in the war-torn country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a teenager he was sent to Johannesburg to live with an aunt he didn’t really know, only to be turned out on the street a few months later. His English tutor eventually opened her home to him, and eleven years later, Fortune is considered part of her family. In need of a hobby, Fortune began boxing and eventually found himself competing at a pro level.