I either had to concentrate on fighting, or I had to help my family. I chose my family. I love my mom; I love my family.

I've just had some bad luck. I've had every injury known to man. I understand how people think, 'How can this be happening all the time to Gerry Cooney?' But it did.

Some of the things written about me hurt, but there is nothing I can do about it.

I think I make people laugh, and that's good in life.

Some have made boxing a terrible thing to be around.

I spent a lot of time dwelling on yesterday, and it did me no good.

It took me to be 33 to start to know how to fight.

I was embarrassing against Spinks.

I don't want anybody guarding me. I want to be free; I want to be left alone... I would like to go out there and have no one know me, but at the same time, it would bother me, y'know.

I'm one crazy, crazy guy.

When I hurt Norton, I got scared. I looked to the referee. But in the same sense, you're a fighter: you gotta have the killer instinct.

Am I complicated? Nah, I'm interesting. I just like having a good time.

Every Saturday and Sunday, when the other guys were out having a good time at the mall, I was at home working in the garden.

Maybe I'll go to acting school. Acting is like boxing, you know.

Fighting is not something you can just turn off.

My father never once told me he loved me. I told him I loved him only one time - that was when he was sick. It was hard, the way he showed his love. I didn't understand what he was trying to teach me. Now I know, but it came too late for him to see it. After he was gone, I realized he was trying to strengthen my mind to make me better.

When I was 15, I decided to take up the sport seriously, so I went down to the Y.M.C.A. My first day there, this little Italian guy beat my brains out. I decided to quit. Then I realized I really wanted to be a fighter. I worked at it, went back, and that little Italian guy didn't beat me up no more.

I have a great life. I'm the happiest guy in the world.

I liked to watch the expression in the fighter's face change when you connected with him. You know when you connect in the right spot. It's like a tunnel vision.

I have this want-to-be-liked thing, but deep down, I had this rage. I was just - I was blinded. I wasn't healthy enough to be able to learn more. I had one mode - to fight.

If my son wants a boxing career, I won't stop him, but I definitely won't push him. It's bad for a kid to be pressured.

Boxing was a way to express my anger. All of a sudden, I was expressing anger, and I was good at it. I was like a Jekyll and Hyde. Boxing helped me because I was fighting the anger out. I was knocking guys out.

It's great playing a sport where you don't get hit in the head.

I was lucky. I held on to some of my money. I didn't really know what I wanted to do after boxing. But I found what I wanted to do.