I’m scared every time I go into the ring, but it’s how you handle it. What you have to do is plant your feet, bite down on your mouthpiece and say, ‘Let’s go.’
You can’t be disturbed by anything. There’s no emotion involved. You can’t feel sorrow, you can’t feel pity, there’s nothing you feel. The job has to be done.
This white woman came up to me, and I’m thinking, WOW. When I was a kid, she would have been robbed and raped and left for dead. This is a real strange scenario, and I just wanted to cry. I’m like, “Who am I? Where’s my heritage?
No one wants to get up at 4 and run when it’s pitch-dark, but it has to be done. The only reason i do it so early is because i believe the other guy isn’t doing it and that gives me a little edge.
