Riddick Bowe

“I learned a long time ago that no one wants to hear excuses.”

“With Evander Holyfield, I anticipate this being a hard fight. But each time out, you don't want it to be a hard fight. Not to mention, you burn yourself out that way.”

“Being a little kid, you don't hear much about racism. You figure everybody's the same. If racism isn't taught, you're just a black kid and a white kid together.”

“I miss boxing. I miss everybody and everything. I miss the attention.”

“A program like the Fresh Air Fund gives people a chance to break away for a while. I've been fortunate to be able to raise my family that way.”

“So many people were ready to write me off as being washed up at 20, I started to believe all that negative stuff myself.”

“I like a truck because it's big like I am, and I think I'll have a lot of fun working with it.”

“No matter what, God is on my side. I'm not perfect, but I'm not the worst, either.”

“Boxing's all I know. At 40, what else am I going to do?”

“I love to eat, and I have no problem telling anybody that.”

“My main goal is Vitali Klitschko. I figure eight rounds, I nail him with a right hand, a left-right combination and it's a wrap.”

“I had to fight to put my socks on. That's why I'm a great fighter. My brothers and sisters didn't realize they were creating a monster. And then that monster made it to the Hall of Fame.”

“For me, hard work and determination got me in the Hall of Fame.”

“I want to be more than the heavyweight champion. I want to do great things.”

“People said I had no heart, I was lackadaisical, the whole nine yards. But success is the best revenge, and I'm proving all of them wrong, even Evander Holyfield.”

“I always tried to be different from everyone else. Then I found out about boxing. That was the way I could be different from everyone else. I always went against the crowd.”

“I had a goal. I was on a mission. And somewhere along the line I lost sight of what I was supposed to be doing. I got out of my training program.”

“If somebody tells you that after being champion you're not going to miss the attention, he's lying to you.”

“I think people always misjudge me.”

“Don't worry about me. Worry about the next man. If you see me in a fight, don't help me. Pour honey on me and then help the bear. Don't worry about me. I'm Dorothy Bowe's baby boy. I'm going to be all right.”