This fight means the world to me. It's what I've been dreaming about since I was 10 years old to win a world title. I'm going in their with nothing less than a victory. I think it's safe to say the fight is not going the distance and it's going to be a fight of the year candidate. He's going to come to fight, I'm coming to fight and I plan on leaving September 8th as the new world champion
I was 25 years old, a world champion.
The Jens Pulver fight was one that was on a massive level: I was a world champion fighting a former world champion, and a guy that I looked up to. We had a great fight.
I feel blessed that I managed to fight 46 fights undefeated, that I was a world champion for 11 years, one of the longest reigning champions of all time and I like to think that I come out looking pretty good.
I was world's champion in every aspect of the life. Whether it was sitting in a steak house eating a steak or getting onto the edge of the ring with two or three people standing there, it was all the same to me. I was world's champion, and for that reason, I was world's champion.
When you start boxing when you're 7 years old, that's your dream, to become world champion, and after that you want to become something bigger than world champion.
I was fighting at 125 pounds when I was 15 years old... then became a champion at 126 pounds at 25 years old.
I think that every single fight you have is to prove yourself. Even if you're the world champion, the UFC champion of the world, you're still proving yourself; people are coming to beat you.
100 Muay Thai, boxing, and kickboxing fights. Six times world Muay Thai champion, five times European Muay Thai champion, very dominant UFC champion for three years. I know my legacy. They can say whatever they want to, but I'm huge.
When I was 22 years old, I wanted to become the lightweight champion of the world.
I grew up in Canada and I was 10 years old when 9/11 happened. And I think that really changed the landscape for Arabs around the world, obviously, but especially Arab actors, I think we started getting viewed a little different. Like, my whole experience just as a kid before 9/11 and after 9/11 was drastically different.
I was only 24 years old when I won my first Olympia. To be that young and the world champion was a lot of pressure. When I won the 8th one, I had the record. I was on top: that was the absolute best that I ever looked onstage, the best training and prep that I had done, and I had no regrets. I knew it was time to walk away.
It's a huge deal to have the chance to be a four-division world champion at 26 years old.
In the history of each sport, the heroes who win the Olympic gold medal are the ones we remember. Nobody remembers the World Champion 25 years ago, but everyone remembers who the Olympic Champions were, even 100 years ago.
That's my aim. To fight for a world title and become a world champion.
My dad was a three-time world heavyweight champion, so I want to be a three-time world heavyweight champion.