I started talking about retiring in 1997. This is a brutal game, and 25 years of it ain't good for your health. After I get past Tarver on Saturday, give me Klitschko or Tyson. Otherwise, I'm outta here.
I had more energy at 25 and did more jiving around. People got to understand that when you're not so interested in something, you're not gonna do it to the best of your ability. I used to get excited working the crowd, but no more.
My dad sacrificed his relationship with me so I'd be stronger for it. But I could never do it to my kids - I like to have a happy relationship with them.
They've made it a felon to drive from Florida to Louisiana with any fighting birds, so I've had to get rid of most of my chickens. I only got about a hundred left now, which I just keep for colour and breeding. I love those birds as much as anything.
I got real bored in '96. Wasn't nobody to fight. Nothing to look forward to. That's when I started playing basketball again. Had I not started playing basketball, my boxing career would have failed. But I went from a sport where nobody could touch me to another where I couldn't touch nobody.
Mayweather was TBE - The Best Ever - at making money, but look at his highlights and look at mine. You can't pretend it's the same.
In my prime, I was the ruler. Simple as that. I understand there's a lot of great fighters who've followed me already since I was the champ - and I hope there's another who comes along does even better because want to see that - but I haven't seen anyone do what I did yet.
You can't pretend there has ever been anyone come close to doing what I did. Nobody you could name could touch me, and I'm talking about nobody who's around now, nobody who was around in my prime, and nobody who was around any time you can mention outta your mouth.
When me and Mike Tyson were around, we played king of the hill. Whoever comes to the hill, you get your behind whooped. We don't pick and choose. I fought guys when I had fractured wrists and ribs, bad backs, I didn't care. I was the king of the hill; Tyson was king of the hill. When we left, people were trying to get the 'most money fight.'
I've tried to stick with the same people from when my career started to today. The more people you add around you, the more distractions you have, and that's the last thing I need.
Kids always used to come up and ask me if I ever fought Mike Tyson, and I used to tell them that we couldn't because we were in different weight classes.
Once you put that muscle on, it's hard to go back down. Most guys, when they put that muscle on, they just stay big. To go back down while at the same time trying to maintain that punching power, it's very tough.
I'm pretty good at video games, but I'm the champ when it comes to pinball, and that's just because it's old-fashion like I am. I can't get enough of pinball.
I don't really give in to the critics because critics are always going to criticize, and what have they done? A person who has never done nothing can't really care nothing about doing something. So as far as the critics, I don't care what they think. I don't have time to give to critics.
After my arrival in Russia, I saw that there is a large community of boxers. I also felt appreciated in Russia. Maybe even a lot more than I was valued and appreciated in my own country.
I never wanted my kids to feel about me the way I felt about him.
British fans are the best, and we are seeing that. They love the sport of boxing. They follow, they travel, they love their fighters. They will go anywhere in the world to support you. They support better than any other country I've seen to this day.
I'm really glad to have become a Russian citizen. Russia's such a welcoming country, and many people in the world want to become her citizens.
