My first ever show in America was opening for Coldplay at Madison Square Garden. Nobody in that audience could have known who I was. It was almost like it was an accident, like I was in someone else's dream.
I already achieved my dream by fighting at Madison Square Garden for my second pro fight. I felt like I won the world title already, and I only had two professional fights. Madison Square Garden stands alone as far as boxing venues are concerned, and I dream about going back there again.
It's still one of the proudest moments in my career boxing at Madison Square Garden. Some fighters who have won titles and championships have never boxed at Madison Square Garden. For a little kid just off a council estate to do it was a dream come true.
We still haven't played Madison Square Garden. That's a benchmark. Something will have gone seriously wrong if we don't play Madison Square Garden for this album.
When I would go into Madison Square Garden, I wasn't the most popular guy. Madison Square Garden, there's 16,000 Puerto Ricans with knives and great radios and stuff.
I was pretty shocked [having concert in the Madison Square Garden]. It could have gone either way. But I think it's the right time. Nobody does what we do with taking the visuals and making it a complete rock 'n' roll show with the really good songs. Nobody's done that in a long time.
We're in Madison Square Garden, I can't let you beat me in Madison Square Garden, are you serious!?
Like everybody know, six years, nobody beat Mr. Bob Backlund. I beat him in most famous arena in the world, Madison Square Garden.
I've heard that Oasis or Coldplay will sell tickets, but they can't sell records. They sold out Madison Square Garden in three hours. And they can't sell albums. I don't know what's going on.
There's so much more that I want to do. Of course it's great what has happened so far: Ultra, Coachella, EDC. But still, production-wise and show-wise, I'd love to play a show at Madison Square Garden. Stuff like that is beyond my imagination.
Madison Square Garden sounds like crap.
I want to fight in Madison Square Garden because it's the mecca of boxing. This is my dream.
We got to play Madison Square Garden before. I mean, that was like a dream. There is something about the lights and the huge arenas that is really special, but nothing can quite compare to those intimate shows where it's sold out, and it's a thousand people.
It's always been a dream of mine to fight at Madison Square Garden, and it's something I really relish.
It's amazing to see places like Madison Square Garden on the schedule again.
My fellow Americans, this is an amazing moment for me. To think that a once-scrawny boy from Austria could grow up to become governor of the state of California and then stand here... then stand here in Madison Square Garden and speak on behalf of the president of the United States - that is an immigrant's dream. It is the American dream.
My goals were small. My goal was to become a big enough stand-up that I wouldn't have to do radio. I could sell out a club, which is like 300 seats. If I got big enough, I could sell before I got there, and I wouldn't have to get up at 6 in the morning to do radio. That was pretty much the dream. I had no idea I'd be playing Madison Square Garden or anything.