I don't seek the limelight. I'm perfectly happy with a quiet life and spending time with my family, but I deserve recognition.

Boxing definitely has a part to play in taking away unwanted aggression.

There'll never be another Muhammad Ali. He was a superstar. And although he has gone, his legacy will live on for what he has done for sport and humanity.

There's no point looking good and losing. Winning is what it's all about, and you can't always look spectacular while doing it.

We're only human, and fear can eat away at you the closer you get to a big fight.

When I boxed against Jeff Lacy, that was one fight that I was so proud of.

At the end of your career, you go, 'I'm gonna be able to retire undefeated and be one of the very, very few people in history to do it.' People were saying I should try and get to 50-0, but my number was 46 - that was it. I could have kept trying, but one loss would have spoiled everything.

It's not just a trainer - as a man, my dad was unbelievable. Even outside boxing, he was my friend as well. We were boxer and trainer in the gym, but as soon as that bell goes, we'd have a cup of tea, and we'd go on about normal life. We would just leave that bit behind. That's how we kept going.

When I was about 12, I realised I wasn't going to make it as a top footballer, but I won my first British ABA title at 13. From then on, I wanted to be a world champion.

I cried watching 'Million Dollar Baby.' I'm a big baby, man.

I definitely was a big puncher early on in my career, and I used to load up with my left hand. Then, towards the end of my career, I had hand problems and needed injections in my hands for the pain.

I'm a Juventus fan, although I did support Chelsea for some time - mainly because of Gianfranco Zola. Zola is from the same town as my father Enzo, in Sardinia.

I like to give my kids the life I didn't have - they go to an excellent school; they have nice clothes, money for shopping. I'm quite generous with them, but they have fantastic manners - they're not spoilt.

I agreed to be on 'Strictly Come Dancing' without watching the show. I got talked into it by my manager. And my God, I was crap at it.

My father was a cocky, long-haired musician, a songwriter.

I like him as a guy, but I'm going to knock him out - Roy Jones is just a prop in a fairytale ending to a great career for me.

Every fighter, when they box, wants to leave a mark in their sport, or a legacy, and I managed to do that beyond my wildest dreams.

It's in my DNA to fight and entertain.

It would be good to fight Roy Jones. I've always admired him, and I think this would be a great fight for the fans.

I'm pretty excited: to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is a massive achievement... and to be inducted with Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad, two great fighters, is a massive honour for me and my family.

My mum is the opposite of my dad. She's a very private person, very shy and totally against boxing. She never watched any of my fights live. She hated me doing it.

Roy Jones is a difficult fight.

I was told as a teenager I'd never box again. I had a really bad wrist injury; I couldn't even shadow box for six months. I went through surgery just to try and manage it.

If I'm greedy and keep chasing the money, it's inevitable I will be beaten one day.

Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.

My natural weight is 13 st. 7 lb. That's what I walk around at.

We had nothing, no money, when I was young. We lived in a council house. My dad struggled; my mum struggled. But that made me what I am. If I had everything on a plate from the start, maybe I would not have been a champion for 11 years.

I never really, really pushed my boys into boxing, but I guess it's in the blood.

My career has been very difficult. People respect the fact that I haven't just turned professional like Amir Khan or Audley Harrison, and it's been, 'Here's a million pound' - for spoilt brats to fight a couple of fights.

Before the Roy Jones fight, I knew I was going to retire because I couldn't train, my hands had gone, and the hunger had gone.

Having been a fighter for 25 years, I know how to handle the fear. The fear is there, but I use it to motivate me.

I find it quite sad to see the likes of Evander Holyfield carrying on past their sell-by date.

I'm somebody from a little tiny town, who had boxed in leisure centres, and my last fight was in Madison Square Garden against one of the greats. What a great way to finish off.

I thank God that I had such an amazing father who was my trainer as well.

I embraced every struggle because it made me the fighter I was.

Boxing was my destiny.

I didn't like school at all. I was bullied and didn't have a good time. Boxing was my escapism, and the ring was where I felt best.

I pick my nose quite a bit.

When I was 17, my mum made me work in a cake factory for three days - I hated it.

Spiders - hate 'em.

I don't want my career to peter out fighting meaningless fights; I want to go against the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world.

When it comes to the singing part, I think I missed the boat - the whole family can sing except for me. But they can't fight, so I suppose I've been a bit more successful than them there.

I liked 'The Office' when it was on.

Boxing's in my blood, so I'll always stay involved in that, and I'll probably do a bit of TV work as well, commentary and that.

Ideally, it would be nice if you could earn enough money to kick on from boxing and use the finances to start a business. Realistically, that doesn't happen.

I try to work out about four or five times a week. I'll do a little bit of cardio, half hour on the punchbag, or just go for a jog.

I do like to travel.

I can't understand it myself - how nervous I was when I took the floor for 'Strictly Come Dancing.' I walk out with 50,000 people gathered in the Millennium Stadium to fight Mikkel Kessler in the unification fight for the super middleweight division in 2007, and I feel great... and here I am, wearing tight pants and Cuban heels, and freaking out.

Fighters never realise when it is time to walk away. They can't leave the buzz and adoration that surrounds being champion.

It's one of the biggest disappointments of my boxing career, not going to the Olympics.