“You have to, as an individual, know how to tune that stage of your life that’s in the past out.”

I was born a leader, never a follower. I never felt peer pressure. If the group goes left, I go right.

When I structured my career, I looked at Muhammad Ali, which is my all-time favorite and an idol of mine, and what he has done for this sport. He was a real-life hero.

At the end of the day, I am going for all the belts, so I am going to have to go through all of them. And I would live to fight the U.K. guys – even in the U.K.

I’m not playing around in 2016.

I was raised by both parents up to 17. We had a good family. We had a middle class family, good teaching and good surroundings, raised by the church, where I went every week whether I wanted to or not.

I definitely got into a lot of fights when I was a kid. I never understood it. I was one of those quiet kids. I never picked with no one.

I’m looking forward to the fighting with no headgear – I’m jealous. I kind of want to go back to the Olympics to experience no headgear.

I didn’t even know about amateur boxing, period.

All my prayers go out to Tyson Fury. I know it’s difficult to be in his situation.

Going to Russia is going to be nothing for me. I’m going to treat it like it’s the U.S. because, at the end of the day, it’s one man, one ring.

I like to have fun in the ring, but I knock them out.

I can be a tennis player, a golf player, and even a soccer player.

I don’t play boxing.

The craziest thing about it, I used to hate fighting, but you had to show how tough you was; you had to show you wasn’t no punk.

I want to put my name in history. I love history.

I have so many things that I want to do with my life. I just don’t see myself being a fighter forever. Boxing is my love and passion. It also opens up and sets up other things in my life as well.

All life is a purposeful struggle, and your only choice is the choice of a goal.

You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?

Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark.

If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.

Misfortunes never come singly.

The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.

He who robs us of our dreams robs us of our life.

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.