George Foreman

“Sure the fight was fixed. I fixed it with a right hand.”

“The Internal Revenue Service is the real undefeated heavyweight champion.”

“When I left boxing in 1977 to be a preacher, I couldn't make a fist after I learned about Jesus Christ.”

“If you can maintain that integrity in whatever you do, you can't go wrong. That's what I tell my kids, anyway.”

“It's great to reminisce about good memories of my past. It was enjoyable when it was today. So learning to enjoy today has two benefits: it gives me happiness right now, and it becomes a good memory later.”

“It's strange because you - your life goes so swiftly. You look up one day you're a teenager, the next day you're a grandfather and you want to decide, 'I sure hope my kids don't make the same mistakes.'”

“They call it the rope-a-dope. Well, I'm the dope. Ali just laid on the rope and I, like a dope, kept punching until I got tired. But he was probably the most smart fighter I've ever gotten into the ring with.”

“We all think we've got one more boxing match in us, and that, probably, will be the downfall of Floyd Mayweather, George Foreman, Manny Pacquiao. We'll overstay our welcome.”

“Getting up to Zaire - getting ready to fight Muhammad Ali - I thought this will be a matter of just a little exercise. I'll probably knock him out in three rounds. Two, three - maybe three and a half rounds. That was the most confidence I had in my whole life.”

“You don't know what it is to be heavyweight champ of the world until you become the heavyweight champ of the world.”

“Just take one step at a time, trusting that God still has a plan for you, and He will make the best out of your situation.”

“The Olympic Gold medal in 1968 was definitely the highest moment of my career. It was a dream come true. I was a 19-year-old boy, and it was just amazing to be standing on top of the podium and hearing the National Anthem in the background.”

“I am a winner each and every time I go into the ring.”

“Growing up poor, I didn't even have a lunch to take to school. Lunch was 26 cents, and we didn't even know what 26 cents looked like. I didn't love school because I wanted to disguise that I was poorer than everybody else.”

“You don't have to try to hurt people and be angry to be an athlete.”

“The referee is going to be the most important person in the ring tonight besides the fighters.”

“As a matter of fact, there was a period of time, especially in my first career, when that's the only one who would work out with me: my dogs. As you get better and better working out, there's no one who can keep up with you running.”

“There are a lot of guys who are successful, they make a lot of big money, I mean millions overnight with a contract, and they don't understand the evaporation. It evaporates. You're always back to square one. I found that out, so integrity is how I do business. That's my main asset.”

“The fighters who give it all will be around for next year. Give it all you've got. Don't save anything.”

“The integration of a headgear in professional boxing would do so much to make it safer for young men. They could go into the sport, make a lot of money and then come out and be good grandfathers.”