Quotes from Naseem Hamed

At 19, I was European champion, and at 21, I was world champion. Let's just hope Amir Khan can follow in the same footsteps. I believe he can do it 100%; he's a fantastic talent.

When you are challenging for the world title, you've got to go into the lion's den to try and rip that belt away from the champion.

I've won every title, and I've done everything in my division.

My career was a gift that I'm very happy about. I loved every step of it. I was blessed. I won all the titles and put my stamp on the sport.

I just refuse to lose.

I want to produce champions from Saudi Arabia and throughout the region.

I've got music in my head when I fight. I've got a certain rhythm, a certain way of fighting, a certain relaxation where I can let myself go.

I want to be remembered as a guy who transcended boxing.

I don't see anything remotely like me in boxing, past or future.

During my career, there were times we were inseparable, and I can honestly say that if it were not for Brendan Ingle, I would not have achieved all I did in the sport of boxing.

One thing that has irritated me in the sport of boxing since I stopped is I'm really surprised that no one has come along to excite me like me.

The core of my life is Islam, my religion. Without that, I have no strength, no belief in God or in myself.

You can't duplicate me. A lot of fighters come out with a certain amount of style, and I like to see that, but they get smashed up a little bit.

I don't know what other fighters do, but when I get hit and go down, I smile and I say, 'I'm going to hit you harder than you hit me, and I'm going to knock you out.' The times I go down and get back up - that's when I'm the most dangerous.

I've knocked guys out in the 11th round before, late.

When I get knocked down, I'm going to get up and knock you down - and I'm going to hurt you.

I might spar with him, or I might teach him a few tricks, but even if there was $1 billion or £1m offered, I'd never get in the ring with another Muslim. It's against my principles.

A revelation came to me at 16. All true princes must someday become kings.

I lit up the Middle East when I lit up the world in the 1990s and gave people here something to be proud of.

Getting beaten is sometimes a good thing. If you're a positive person, you can turn it around and make it into a good thing.

I want to be remembered as the man who changed the pay scale for featherweights, who put the sparkle back in boxing after Muhammad Ali left, the man who took risks with his ring entrance, the man who, before the fight, would do a front flip into the ring without even thinking about turning an ankle, and then knocking his man out. I mean out.

I thought after that fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, if this was supposed to be fight of the decade, then people must be missing me a lot more.

In Arabic, 'Naseem' means a gentle breeze. But inside the guy's a monster.

I remember when Muhammad Ali got beaten the first time. I remember when Lennox Lewis got beaten the first time, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson. All of those were legendary fighters, and they came back, and that's what made them different - what they did after they got beat.