Roberto Duran was the kind of guy who was a true fighter and you hardly see guys like that anymore.

Muhammad Ali was the kind of guy you either loved or hated, but you wanted to see him. I happen to really love him. He brought boxing to another level and always made you laugh.

You have a small period of time when you can perfect your career and become good at it. A lot of guys get distracted, which only hurts them. You must stay focused and work very hard at boxing.

I had personal problems. I was spending 50% of my life on my family, 50% on boxing. Neither was getting anywhere. It was killing me. So I had to break away from fighting.

About 99 percent of fighters end up broke. F.I.S.T. helps them turn the page and find new goals.

I was a left hooker, and I loved hooking. I also really liked to jab and mix it up right away.

I am involved in minor league baseball. I go around the country speaking to troubled youths, trying to help them understand that whatever path they choose, they'll need to really pay attention to it.

I was a small kid from Huntington, Long Island. I never imagined that anything like that would happen to me.

You take that walk from the dressing room to the ring and that's when the real man comes out. Then you climb up those four stairs and into the ring. Then finally, you can't wait for the bell to ring.

The fight with Holmes was a plus. I gained so much experience.

It's tough waking up in the morning and reading derogatory stories about you.

They said if I'd fight a ranked contender, I'd get a title shot. I did that, and the next day they changed the rules.

By the time you're 30 years old, you can be on a nowhere street, if you're not careful.

I saw my brother have an altercation one time. He hit a guy with a left hook to the body and a right hand to the chin. He not only knocked the guy out, but out of wind. That stuck with me. It scared me.

You go through pain. You feel uncomfortable, uncomfortable, uncomfortable until you change. I acquired a different outlook.

Long Island has a great boxing tradition.

I am seeing all the guys, like Earnie Shavers, Tex Cobb, and Larry Holmes all the time.

I don't overswing any more. I can throw a punch and be right in position to punch again. No more 'Hail Mary' punches, where it took me five minutes to get back in position.

I had two managers who couldn't stand each other. I had a promoter, Don King, who couldn't get any fights, and I was fighting once a year. I knocked out Norton and then didn't fight for 13 months. Then I fight the heavyweight champion of the world.

I grew up in a big Irish, Catholic family. My dad was a pretty rough guy. So one of my brothers left home when he was 15 and found his way to the gym. It gave me the opportunity to go and spend some time with him and work out in the gym.

The bad press came because they thought I should fight more. I couldn't get the fights because if I would sign to fight one of King's guys I would be signed to him. I chose not to do that. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake.

I have a Roman nose. It roams all over my face.

All of the sports have a safety net, but boxing is the only sport that has none. So when the fighter is through, he is through. While he was fighting his management was very excited for him, but now that he is done, that management team is moving on.

I've spent most of my life in prison. I was a prisoner of my fear and my low self-esteem.