When I turned pro, Muhammad Ali was laying back, and I was able to fill up an area that was empty.

I'll think, If this is his first punch, how are the others gonna feel? That's the only fear I have for myself.

I'm not religious, but I believe that what I have is a gift, and I respect it and live up to it.

I fought tall fighters, short fighters, strong fighters, slow fighters, sluggers and boxers. It was either learn or get knocked off.

You just don't heal that easy unless you're young.

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

Although it was a great accomplishment to win a gold medal, as soon as they put it on you, that's it; your career is over.

To be the best, you need to spend hours and hours and hours running, hitting the speed bag, lifting weights and focusing on training.

Aaron Pryor wants to get into the ring with me. He wants to be able to retire, and he will. For health reasons.

Ali's belief in himself was something I picked up on, and it's become my own philosophy.

We're all given some sort of skill in life. Mine just happens to be beating up on people.

Bruce Lee was an artist and, like him, I try to go beyond the fundamentals of my sport. I want the public to see a knockout in the making.

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

Holyfield is nothing but class, and I think he's a breath of fresh air for the sport.

Except for Ali, fighters had never been marketable.

When I'm not in training. I'll walk around the streets at 153, but it's not solid; it's my socializing weight.

In Italy, I had an Afro, and a lot of the kids came up and felt my hair. It really was funny. I wish I had understood Italian.

It's hard to talk about yourself.

When we got back to the U.S., I wanted to kiss the ground after seeing what people in other countries are denied or don't have.

Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume.

Generally, the more weight you put on, the less effective you are.

Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five.

I think an athlete should be honest. I know it's difficult, but if a guy knocked me on my can, I couldn't very well say, I slipped.

I want my fights to be seen as plays that have a beginning, a middle and an end.

Before I fight, I always pray that no one gets hurt.

Boxing brings out my aggressive instinct, not necessarily a killer instinct.

They say that I'm stubborn, and my wife says that, too, but it's paid off so far.

I think I've become one of the best finishers in boxing; if I hurt a guy, I normally take him out.

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.

Boxing was not something I truly enjoyed. Like a lot of things in life, when you put the gloves on, it's better to give than to receive.

It's different when you become a professional, because you also have to become a businessman, and that takes something away from it.

I'm a free agent. I haven't allowed any promoters to have exclusive options on my fight. I don't need a promoter.

When I turned pro, Muhammad Ali was laying back, and I was able to fill up an area that was empty.

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

Duran always disturbs me. The guy is just weird. Before our first fight, both Duran and his wife gave my wife the finger.

I'm a competitor and a very proud man. If a guy beats me once, he'll have to do it again to make me believe him.

Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring.

Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities.

At 14, I was the most disciplined guy around. I would get up at 5 o'clock in the morning and run five miles, and then go to school. Sometimes I would run behind the school bus, and the kids thought I was just crazy. I knew what I wanted.

Boxing is a sport, but it's also entertainment. I wanted to transcend the sport and be considered just not as a fighter, or a champion, but someone very special.

Boxing is individual, although there's a team concept because you need a great corner, you need a great trainer, you need a great prep man, you need all of these things, but it's more of a Mano a Mano; it's more you versus me. I miss that time in training camp and Dad and Mom cooking meals. It was one big family.

Boxing is the ultimate challenge. There's nothing that can compare to testing yourself the way you do every time you step in the ring. On the downside, you meet a lot of really bad people in boxing, at all stages of your career.

Boxing should focus on pitting champion versus champion - those are the fights that everyone wants to see. The sports also needs to work on developing new heroes and personalities. I'd like to see more vignettes on fighters, focusing on their lives, goals and stories. Boxers need to be larger than life.

Boxing will always be in my life.

Boxing's a poor man's sport. We can't afford to play golf or tennis. It is what it is. It's kept so many kids off the street. It kept me off the street.

For some reason, I was drawn towards boxing. Or maybe boxing drew me towards it - because once I put those gloves on, after about six months, boxing was my life.

For the most part, I think video games do a good job of capturing the essence of boxing. However, I'd like to continue to see them push the realism, emphasizing the skill involved.

I always expect unexpected challenges. Boxing is not an easy sport.

I am excited to share my archive pictures and footage. I'll also share announcements about current events and success stories from the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation to help fight diabetes and child obesity.