Quotes from Evander Holyfield

We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.

A champion shows who he is by what he does.

No. I probably do better not being in politics. They have too much control over you when you are in politics.

The word of God steadies me. He says your trials and tribulations make you who you are. So you can see my whole story in the way I endured and overcame some testing experiences.

The game's been good to me and I hope I've been good to the game. I'm 50 years old and I've pretty much did everything that I wanted to do in boxing.

Deep down, I reckon the sweetest moment will come when it's finally all over. When, at last, I know that I can stop fighting. Of course it'll also be a little sad. The sweetest moments, y'know, always come with just a little sadness.

Odds are just the people opinion. Respect your own opinion.

If you quit every time things don't go your way, then you'll be quitting all through your life.

They don't show Olympic boxing on TV in prime time. They haven't done that since 1988. In 1992, they showed one: Oscar De La Hoya. In 1996, they didn't show it. In 2000, they didn't show it. In 2004, they didn't show it. In 2008, they did not even mention boxing at all. You would think the United States didn't have a boxing team in 2008.

I lived in a project and...didn't have a good education. But...I'd listen to the preacher, who said that God would show me the way. Everything starts from that confidence.

It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.

Fighters find it hard to give up doing what they do best - fighting for a living.

A champion shows who he is by what he does when he's tested. When a person gets up and says 'I can still do it', he's a champion.

Pressure bursts pipes. I thank God for giving me peace of mind to overcome pressure. The difference between winning and losing is when pressure hits.

I've had a great life following my faith and my instincts.

That's the biggest problem with boxing in the United States. They do not promote it like they used to, when it used to be Howard Cosell and they showed it on 'Wide World of Sports.' Everybody knew all the fighters. Everybody was looking forward to the year when the Olympics came on.

People who make the choice to study, work hard or do whatever they endeavor is to give it the max on themselves to reach to the top level. And you have the people who get envy and jealous, yet are not willing to put that work in, and they want to get the same praise.

Every time someone starts talking about weight, it takes away from the fight. No one is born at that weight. We grew into that weight. It is all about the challenge, more so than the weight.

The big guys choose who they want to fight and they think about history: 'how many times I defended my title.' They try to break a record: 'how long I was there.' But if you look at the pedigree, who they fought, ain't nobody gonna give them credit for it because they fought a lot of people with no experience.

No. I probably do better not being in politics. They have too much control over you when you are in politics.

That's the biggest problem with boxing in the United States. They do not promote it like they used to, when it used to be Howard Cosell and they showed it on 'Wide World of Sports.' Everybody knew all the fighters. Everybody was looking forward to the year when the Olympics came on.

Deep down, I reckon the sweetest moment will come when it's finally all over. When, at last, I know that I can stop fighting. Of course it'll also be a little sad. The sweetest moments, y'know, always come with just a little sadness.

Well, when I think of steroids I think of an image. You have the advantage over someone, which is a form of cheating. I guess it wouldn't be right unless it was legal for everybody. Reason it's not legal for everybody is because it can hurt people seriously.

People who make the choice to study, work hard or do whatever they endeavor is to give it the max on themselves to reach to the top level. And you have the people who get envy and jealous, yet are not willing to put that work in, and they want to get the same praise.