I'm not religious, but I believe that what I have is a gift, and I respect it and live up to it.

I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject.

If I hadn't had the talent, the networks wouldn't have televised my fights. No one has made me; I made myself. I paid my dues.

In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish I had understood Italian.

It's different when you become a professional, because you also have to become a businessman, and that takes something away from it.

It's hard to talk about yourself.

No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran.

We're all given some sort of skill in life. Mine just happens to be beating up on people.

When I turned pro, Muhammad Ali was laying back, and I was able to fill up an area that was empty.

When I'm not in training. I'll walk around the streets at 153, but it's not solid; it's my socializing weight.

When we got back to the U.S., I wanted to kiss the ground after seeing what people in other countries are denied or don't have.

You just don't heal that easy unless you're young.

Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.

I'm a competitor and a very proud man. If a guy beats me once, he'll have to do it again to make me believe him.

Before I fight, I always pray that no one gets hurt.

They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far.

Boxing brings out my aggressive instinct, not necessarily a killer instinct.

Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities.

Boxing was not something I truly enjoyed. Like a lot of things in life, when you put the gloves on, it's better to give than to receive.

Generally, the more weight you put on, the less effective you are.