 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. |
| Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume. |
| Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy. |
| I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject. |
| They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far. |
| In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish I had understood Italian. |
| Boxing brings out my aggressive instinct, not necessarily a killer instinct. |
| If I hadn't had the talent, the networks wouldn't have televised my fights. No one has made me; I made myself. I paid my dues. |
| When I'm not in training. I'll walk around the streets at 153, but it's not solid; it's my socializing weight. |
| I want my fights to be seen as plays that have a beginning, a middle and an end. |
| I'm a free agent. I haven't allowed any promoters to have exclusive options on my fight. I don't need a promoter. |
| No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran. |
| Except for Ali, fighters had never been marketable. |
| I fought tall fighters, short fighters, strong fighters, slow fighters, sluggers and boxers. It was either learn or get knocked off. |
| Boxing was not something I truly enjoyed. Like a lot of things in life, when you put the gloves on, it's better to give than to receive. |
| 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. |
