I want my fights to be seen as plays that have a beginning, a middle and an end

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.

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.

I'm so opposite of my profession. No one - particularly my mother and father - ever thought I was going to be a boxer because I always felt that football and baseball were too dangerous. I was just such a quiet kid.

Boxing's a poor man's sport. We can't afford to play golf or tennis. It is what it is. It's kept so many kids off the street. It kept me off the street.

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.

I want to be great, something special.