No one but myself thought I could beat guys like Tommy Hearns or Roberto Duran.

Normally, I would run with a group of guys in my camps. A couple of days before the fight, I would run by myself. That was my time to choreograph the fight in my head, so I needed to be myself.

I was painfully initiated into boxing, because the guys I fought were a lot bigger than me.

I've never believed in tying myself up in a long-range contract, and I've been very outspoken on that subject.

If I hadn't had the talent, the networks wouldn't have televised my fights. No one has made me; I made myself. I paid my dues.

I went through real darkness, but the ring was my light. That was the one place I felt safe. I could control what happened in the ring. My heart turned icy.