I consider myself blessed. I consider you blessed. We've all been blessed with God-given talents. Mine just happens to be beating people up.

We're all endowed with God-given talents. Mine happens to be hitting people in the head.

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.

My ambition is not to be just a good fighter. I want to be great, something special.

To be the best, you need to spend hours and hours and hours running, hitting the speed bag, lifting weights and focusing on training.

You have to know you can win. You have to think you can win. You have to feel you can win.

I'm not in favor of that [mandating protective headgear ] because we learn as amateurs how to protect ourselves. And that's why there's a third man in the ring, the referee. And that's why there has to be a very strong boxing commission that doesn't allow guys in the ring who don't belong there.