You don't play boxing. You really don't. You play golf, you play tennis, but you don't play boxing.

I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject.

I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me.

Although it was a great accomplishment to win a gold medal, as soon as they put it on you, that's it; your career is over.

This kid [Janks Morton, Jr.] was so special, although he's not a kid anymore, obviously, but he was there from day one of my rise through boxing. You know how the years go by and then, when you stop to reflect, you realize that someone was a part of your whole evolution as an individual? That's what I share with Junior.

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.

They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far.