Quotations

«This is going to be a great and exciting event, not only for boxing fans, but for me personally, because I get to fight alongside two of my Olympic teammates, Andre Dirrell and Devin Vargas. I'm looking forward to putting on a spectacular performance in front of my hometown crowd and then letting the fans get an up close and personal look of Andre and Devin, just like we did in Athens.»

«You can learn a lot from the Olympics, but you have to learn the sport again when you turn pro. Just being an Olympian or a gold medalist isn?t going to get you a break when you take off that headgear and start prizefighting. You?ve got to prove yourself all over again, every day.»

«I never want to despise small beginnings. I?m grateful for where we?re at right now.»

«As soon as that bell rings for the first round, ... you have to establish whose ring it is. That's really all I try to do -- I try not to think to much, I don't think Roy thinks to much in the ring. We try to think on the fly -- we bring game plans to the ring but the main thing is to take control of the ring, from the jump.»

«I think my jab has a lot to do with having a throwback trainer in Virgil,»

«When your are in the ring, ... it is mental. You may get hit with a good shot or you may hit him with a good shot...you still have to be smart. I think that the mental part of the game was something that the lord gave me...that is my biggest attribute. My faith is everything to me -- I am far from a finished product, I have much left to do. But that is why I love God...he understands that. If it wasn't for the Lord I would not be where I am now. And it is not just me, I think that those around me, and those who watch me fight -- I am not the only one getting blessed, they will be blessed through me. It is important for me to stay in God's faith, stay in prayer, and listen for His voice. If i do that, I don't believe anything can stop me.»

«It was either Connecticut or San Jose, so you know what I chose. I have great fans here.»

«I am very comfortable fighting southpaw, ... both my right and left hands are powerful. My ability to switch on the fly really is amazing -- most guys are not looking for it and then BOOM, I switch to southpaw and they are on the mat. I think that is a major part of my game, and I work on that as much as I do my conventional style.»

«When I hit him, I knew it was over, ... It's a concussive type of punch. Because he's a lefty, he was wide open for that shot.»

«Every time a fighter comes out to fight me, this is almost a world-title fight. This may be the closest he gets to the big time. So absolutely, I'm pumped and I'm ready for each and every fight.»