Every time a fighter steps into the ring, he's borrowing against his future well-being.
You don't get points for leaving the chin open.
No boxer in the history of boxing has had Parkinson's. There's no injury in my brain that suggests that the illness came from boxing.
I am not going to box unfit, obviously.
If the fighter doesn't want to fight, you're not gonna want him to fight. If the fighter doesn't want to fight, the promoter doesn't make him fight. And if he wants to retire, then it's time to walk away.
The adoption of gloves for all contests will do more to preserve the practice of boxing than any other conceivable means. It will give pugilism new life, not only as a professional boxer's art, but as a general exercise.
I boxed till my late 30s, so 47, that's impossible really to be at your best and if you aren't at your best you shouldn't be boxing.
I wouldn't recommend [boxing] to any child of mine. I would rather he played golf or something.
Boxers put themselves on the line, they put their lives at risk, so it's up to the boxers to make sure they are healthy and sharp because we are giving the public what they want to see.
I don't actually think boxing is a particularly dangerous sport, I wouldn't even put it in the top ten of dangerous sports, but that's only if you take it seriously. Whenever I stepped into the ring I was well hydrated, I was at the right weight and I was prepared. It wasn't a dangerous sport for me.
I wouldn't be boxing if I wasn't given the all-clear by the doctors, I wouldn't put my family or myself through that.
You're always just one punch away from getting hurt. But look, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen. I think I'm going to walk out of this sport of boxing when I think it's the right time.
I'm looking forward to the fighting with no headgear - I'm jealous. I kind of want to go back to the Olympics to experience no headgear.
I don't want there to be a time where I'm 'too old' to box on, or where an injury retires me in or out of the ring.
Fighting is my livelihood, and jeopardizing my body without a full understanding of conditions doesn't make any sense. No professional fighter will go into a risky match without a contract.
If I could ban boxing, I probably would, but I'll tell you in the same breath, I loved it growing up.
I, for one, refuse to box without headgear as an amateur. With the rising awareness of concussions and head injury, it is becoming more evident that we need to protect our brains as much as possible. There hasn't been enough research to conclude that it is safer to box without the use of headgear.
I remember I did a boxing class. I remember sparring one time, and the guy smacked me right in the nose, and I was just like, 'What is this? No. No. None of that.
In boxing, if a fighter doesn't leave the sport on time, something bad is likely to happen.
Betting by insiders has a corrosive effect. It breeds suspicion, adds to the appearance of corruption, invites more corruption, and, in a sport like boxing, puts lives at risk.
If you have a young student, don't let him take too many punches to the head. There's the right moment to do a hard training, but it can't be every day. A good coach takes care of your student.
All of the sports have a safety net, but boxing is the only sport that has none.
I know there is trouble in boxing. People say it is no longer good. But I cannot take responsibility. I am not a missionary for boxing.
I believe amateur boxing training should be available in schools. Not for all, but for those who want to.
I'd always been fascinated by boxing and became very engaged with it through my husband, actually. But I started to write about it because so many decent, righteous people wanted it banned.
