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.

I always expect unexpected challenges.

Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.

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.

Look at football, where you still have injuries no matter how much they improve the helmets and other equipment.

I think I've become one of the best finishers in boxing; if I hurt a guy, I normally take him out.

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