At the end of the day, I am the cash cow in women's boxing.
I'm carrying the sport of women's boxing and I am the best woman fighter and that's my role.
At the end of the day, no matter what you do, there will be somebody that don't like you. You don't have to like me, but you will respect what I do.
I was angry because I see other kids with things that I wanted: they had good parents, they had clothes, they always had food and extra money, and I wasn't one of those kids.
I always tell my story because I want others who have felt broken to know they can make it.
To be honest, I already felt that I was going to win the gold medal, but with school being so hard I was kind of second-guessing myself. So, when I actually was told that I was going to be able to walk across the stage and be done with high school, it was such a relief.
I get recognized at the airport and at the malls in Colorado.
I sign a lot of autographs and take a lot of pictures. That's why I've always got to keep my hair done now.
Coming back to Flint and seeing my family keeps me humble. Even though I've been on a worldwide stage, I can still communicate with them on a hood level, if that's what you want to call it.
Growing up in Flint, Michigan, I saw so many kids from my school end up in jail or unemployed, and gangs would hang out and cause trouble in my neighborhood. I had to learn how to protect myself, because it didn't feel like anyone else was protecting me.
My dad would tell me stories about when he was an underground fighter. One day when I was 11, he told me he wished he had a son who could have been a real boxer.
The first punch I learned was the jab. Second, the cross punch; third, the hook - after that, all the combinations and how to move my head and feet. It took me just two months to be ready to get in the ring!
Being a woman fighter, I can't just go out there and manhandle a girl, I need to be very strategic: Use my skills, head movement and defence, then seek and destroy.
Boxing is so easy for me, sadly. I don't mean to be cocky. The promoters don't like that I walk through other girls but it's not my fault that I'm so good.
I train like an animal in the ring. There's nobody that can beat me because I train hard for everybody.
I take the toughest challenges and fight against the best women. With that attitude, I will always be doing something big. I'm light-years ahead of my time.
I trained my whole life for the Olympics. I didn't have a childhood, I really couldn't go to the beach with my friends. Couldn't go to parties. Just training, training, training.
I just love boxing. Train to get there and to just fight somebody.
I felt abandoned at a young age. That's where most of my anger came from, I guess.
If I wanted to curse you out, I would write everything I wanted to say to you in my diary, and it was like screaming in my head. After that, I would have no feelings for you; I wouldn't be mad at you or upset because I already said it to you when I wrote it down. That's what writing did for me.
