I retired and came back in '97. Woo! I mean, come on! I don't know, man. A six-year layoff? That was crazy! My career was relatively short, whether you look at either its length in years or the number of fights I had. But it was brutal.

Bruce Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to go beyond the fundamentals of my sport. I want the public to see a knockout in the making.

Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five

I've always been quiet and kind of shy. I'm sociable, but I would probably migrate to a corner.

I saw Todd Bridges talk about being abused on Oprah. Something that he said, or an expression that he made that gave me that little boost I needed to be open about it and to talk about it as transparently as I did. When I told my wife, she couldn't believe it. She was petrified, because it's such a no-no, taboo, a hands-off subject. But I'd have to say hearing Todd Bridges on Oprah was my watershed moment.

I always expect unexpected challenges.

I've always believed that you can be whatever you want to be if you are willing to sacrifice and dedicate yourself.