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

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

Except for Ali, fighters had never been marketable.

Someone once said there was a comparison between Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. Believe me, there's no comparison. Sugar Ray Robinson was the greatest.

My intention was to fight Durán ASAP because I knew Durán's habits. I knew he would indulge himself, he'd gain 40–50 lbs and then sweat it off to make 147.

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.

I'm a competitor and a very proud man. If a guy beats me once, he'll have to do it again to make me believe him.