There is no doubt that man is a competitive animal and there is no place where this fact is more obvious than in the ring. There is no second place. Either you win or you lose. When they call you a champion, it's because you don't lose. To win takes a complete commitment of mind and body.

That was a f****g dumb question. If I didn't think I was gonna win, why the hell would I be fighting?!

In the ring, I never really knew fear.

What could be better than walking down any street in any city and knowing you're the heavyweight champion of the world?

I was on my face. I heard the count from one to 10. I kept telling myself that I had to get up, but I couldn't move. I couldn't make myself move. It was the strangest feeling.

I don't want to be remembered as a beaten champion.

Roland La Starza was tough, but Ezzard Charles was the toughest man I ever fought. I learned what pain was all about when I fought him.