“Ali was a legend of our sport. For me as a kid, he inspired me to represent myself like a champion in and out of the ring.”

Sportsmen just do what they do. I’m not trying to be a role model. If there’s any inspiration people can take from me, take as much as you can – from my good and my bad.

What makes a champion great is how he dethrones the guy before him. Look at Mike Tyson against Trevor Berbick and how he crushed him. You have to rip the title away from him.

America is the mecca of boxing, and they’ve had some great champions here. It’s good to establish your skills and let people know what you’re about in the States.

I think towards the end of my career, I’m the man. But right now, I’ve still got that underdog mentality to keep on proving myself time and again. I’m not going to believe the hype.

The mental is more important than the physical. You know, that voice in your head telling you to give up if it gets tough. That’s my main opponent – making sure that if your body wants to stop, your mind won’t let you.

For me to have a cheeky little biscuit, it’s not going to hurt. But I need to control those indulgences. I can’t just be scoffing cakes and biscuits five nights a week.

I kind of focus on my own stuff, really, and then when people come into my territory, I’ve got to fight them away, and that’s what we do every time fight night happens.

People who do crime do it for reward. But you end up in jail – that’s no reward. Through crime, your ambitions are low.

It’s hard to say I don’t like being famous, but how I feel is that I don’t see myself as that person. It baffles me that people would want a picture with me.

I can be the nice family man at home, and then when I go to the gym, maybe sparring with someone, I switch into beast mode. It ain’t pretty.

You have to speak from a place where all is possible. When you speak from a place where there’s limits, you’ve already set yourself up to fail.

I realised that I could either fight and get into trouble on the street or I could fight and get paid in the ring. I chose the ring.

I used to drink. I didn’t like reading, but I discovered the benefits of it. I read that Floyd Mayweather never drinks – and he is the blueprint for boxing.

It’s not so much about conquering Madison Square Garden or Vegas. The opponents who I fight will take me all around different venues and arenas. I need to conquer opponents.

I was raised well. My parents are from Nigeria; their culture is respectful. Very respectful. But I learnt that you have to be determined. It’s not violence or aggression. It’s sheer determination.

Sleeping is like meditation: it’s good to rest the body but also to shut the mind down for a bit.

When I was a kid, I thought my dad was a little bit harsh with me at times. Sometimes I needed an arm around me instead of my dad telling me what I did wrong, but it obviously worked.

The children right now, the young children, everybody should go to a martial arts school. Why? Because as soon as they go to a martial arts school, they learn discipline.

Like any parent, I just want the best for my kids, whatever they decide to do. They will choose what path they want to follow, and we will always be there to encourage them.

I’m a normal human being. I don’t have any desire to change my body as a result of having had two kids. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Your little child is the only true democrat.

I was a wayward child, very passionate and very determined. If I made up my mind to do something, there was no stopping me.

Kids can have great passion and great ability but if you have the facilities for your particular sport that can give you the inspiration to become a sportsman.

I have never once regretted missing a business opportunity so that I could be with my children and grandchildren.