“The middleweight division is one of the most exciting divisions in the sport. Fighters can punch like heavyweights and have the speed of the lightweights. You have the best of world worlds.”

Anybody who thinks I’m taking this fight for a paycheck doesn’t know me. My whole life I’ve been achieving the impossible.

I really didn’t care. I’d do something to somebody and walk in front of them the next day like it never happened. I had very very low value on my own life.

I have the philosophy that I’m different. I have the body, the well-being and the experience. Now the teacher gets to show the student that he’s worthy of the lesson. Let me show him through experience.

I’ve done so many unpredictable things and so profoundly. Even the people who want to go against me, are afraid to go against me. They’ve been wrong so many times. A lot of them are just being mum right now. They must feel I can still do things.

I wouldn’t wanna fight me, because I know it wouldn’t be a good outcome for both.

I was told I would be back in 90 days. If I listened to people, I would be back where I came from – the penitentiary.

I’ve got a history of frustrating guys and making them angry.

There’s no great person that lived that didn’t go through scrutiny or ridicule and prosecution in all types of ways, to be who they are in history.

Prison is a thing where talking gets you killed. What gets you respect is you do. The guy that you fear is a guy that says nothing.

I didn’t need to take any fight for the last 10 years. But I’ve always fought the best and I’ve always wanted to prove myself to the best.

It takes no effort to be ordinary. Ordinary is not even a challenge. You can do nothing and be ordinary.

This is a great position to be in. I don’t really believe there is any fighter, in any decade that can be in my position of luxury that I’ve been in for many years.

I don’t know what being a 48-year-old feels like. There are a lot of 48 year olds that aren’t in good shape. The pharmacy is making a killing off of them.

This fight isn’t about boxing, it’s something deeper than that.

There are so many things I’ve done that the world of boxing has witnessed. It’s going to be difficult for the boxing people to pick one of my performances as the best.

There’s always a chance you will see something new in a fight. Especially in boxing.

As a matter of fact and experience, the more power is divided the more irresponsible it becomes.

I don’t have any doubt in my mind: I could knock out any man in the heavyweight division.

Life does not proceed by the association and addition of elements, but by dissociation and division.

There’s no other heavyweight in the division like me, especially when it comes into the athletic department. I’m the most athletic heavyweight in the division.

I’ve been talking about unifying the division for a long time.

I want to defend and put my title on the line as much as possible. If the top in the division are ready to try to come and take my belt – and the key word is ‘try’ – I’m ready to give them that opportunity.

Present, n. That part of eternity dividing the domain of disappointment from the realm of hope.

We are not going to dwell on those things that divide us. We are going to rejoice in those things that keep us together to make this a better country – to reach down and back to touch every young person in need!