I found boxing when I was 14 years old. I went down to the gym because my brother, who used to beat me up all the time, introduced me to boxing. I found boxing to be a sport that I felt safe in because I controlled what was in those four squares.

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.

It is wonderful. It truly is. It is the only thing that is real! It's you against me, it's challenging another guy's manhood. With gloves. Words cannot describe that feeling of being a man, of being a gladiator, of being a warrior. It's irreplaceable.

I wouldnt change anything because the mistakes and the hurt are as important as all the great fights. They made me who I am today.

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

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.

Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy