Patience is a part of boxing. After I had missed out on the Olympic gold medal in 1984, a lot of people tried to talk me into turning professional quickly to make money. They told me that the next Olympics in Seoul would be boycotted again, that I was wasting my life, blah blah. But I still had unfinished business. I wanted the gold medal, and I got it in ‘88. Only then was I ready to turn professional.

Boxing isn't just about brute strength; it's about skill and outwitting your opponent.

There is just one rule about boxing: never bet on the white guy.

Fighters used to be afraid of the Russians, Cubans but then I'd figure them out and figure out how to beat them.

There were different heroes with different images. There was Mike Tyson, the animal, there was Evander Holyfield, the devout, the priest. And there was me, the thinker, the intellectual boxer. So there was something for every fan, if you like. The public could always identify with one of us.

The media can make boxers, controls who makes it big and who doesn’t. They can build up fighters or knock them down.

I think Kirk Johnson is a more exciting fighter than Chris Byrd. A lot of people agree with me when it comes to that.