That was probably the most important fight of my career...he was this crazy guy, who acted like most adults that I knew as a kid, and I knew right away by him being so crazy and wild and quick tempered, I was gonna get under his skin and aggravate the heck out of him. And that's exactly what I did.

Boxing’s an art, it’s a science, and you don’t go out to knock people out. If they happen to get knocked out, they happen to run into one of these bricks by mistake [looks at his fists], that’s their fault.

I feel ashamed tonight that we treated Lennox Lewis the way we did because he gave it all his effort but everytime Don King's involved, you can expect a draw to come from somewhere. Ask Pernell Whitaker about the Julio Cesar Chavez fight...I thought Evander Holyfield gave a very game effort, but you win some and you lose some...tonight I'm upset because Lennox Lewis did not lose and it was not a draw. It's as simple as that.

We're in Madison Square Garden, I can't let you beat me in Madison Square Garden, are you serious!?

There's no way a fighter should fight and put his life on the line, and a promoter makes more money than he makes.

When I thought about it, I said "if you quit now, how you gonna explain to any other kid coming up that if something don't go their way, they're supposed to get up and go hard at it next time?" You can't if you quit.

When I fought Montell Griffin, he quit on me, on the floor, I hit him with a soft punch and he laid down like I knocked him out, and it kinda upset me. I told him I don't care what it is, just give me the rematch. And then I really had to teach him the difference between acting like you've been knocked out, and getting hit for real.