When we got back to the U.S., I wanted to kiss the ground after seeing what people in other countries are denied or don't have.

I'm so opposite of my profession. No one - particularly my mother and father - ever thought I was going to be a boxer because I always felt that football and baseball were too dangerous. I was just such a quiet kid.

I remember all the important fights. Vividly. In detail.

Aaron Pryor wants to get into the ring with me. He wants to be able to retire, and he will. For health reasons.

When I was 15 or 16 and I started climbing up the ladder of success in amateur boxing, a reporter asked me, "What do you want to be?" I think he was expecting me to say, "A champion." I said, "I want to be special." I don't know why I said that, but I didn't just want to be a fighter. I wanted to have an impact with people, particularly kids.

Before I fight, I always pray that no one gets hurt.

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.