I was an underdog my whole career, but I knew I had the ability to compete with those guys.

My dad always wanted me to box because he saw a career in it for me.

Heavyweight championship. People want to see the big guys bang. Other champions are great, too. But ain't nothing like seeing the big guys throw down.

My mother ran the household. In grade school, I came home crying one day. She said, 'What's wrong?' and I said, 'This kid said he was going to jump on me.' She grabbed me and slammed me on the floor. 'If you don't go out there and stand up for yourself, it's going to be me and you.' I didn't want that to happen.