JACK DEMPSEY

A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.

By forgetting the past and by throwing myself into other interests, I forget to worry.

I can't sing and I can't dance, but I can lick any S.O.B. in the house.

Honey, I just forgot to duck

Don't worry honey, I'm too mean to die.

Tall men come down to my height when I hit 'em in the body.

I never went to bed in my life and I never ate a meal in my life without saying a prayer. I know my prayers have been answered thousands of times, and I know that I never said a prayer in my life without something good coming of it.

When I was a young fellow I was knocked down plenty. I wanted to stay down, but I couldn't. I had to collect the two dollars for winning or go hungry. I had to get up. I was one of those hungry fighters. You could have hit me on the chin with a sledgehammer for five dollars. When you haven't eaten for two days you'll understand.

For the first and only time, I was more worried about getting hurt by the crowd than by the guy I was fighting. I got a pretty good blast when introduced. The crowd was hollering and raising hell. I looked around for my bodyguard, a colorful New York character named Wild Bill Lyons, who packed two pearl-handled pistols and used to talk a lot about his days in the West. Wild Bill was under the ring, hiding.

A champion owes everybody something. He can never pay back for all the help he got, for making him an idol.

All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him.

A champion is someone who gets up when he can't.

A good fighter usually knows, to within a very few seconds, when a three-minute round is going to end.

Nobody owes anybody a living, but everybody is entitled to a chance.

I was a pretty good fighter. But it was the writers who made me great.

A champion owes everybody something. He can never pay back for all the help he got, for making him an idol.

Number 4 should have been number 1. Thanks, Honey.

You know what a champion is? A champion is someone who's ready when the gong rings - not just before, not just after - but when it rings.

Tell him he can have my title, but I want it back in the morning.

Tall men come down to my height when I hit 'em in the body.

By forgetting the past and by throwing myself into other interests, I forget to worry.

Honey, I just forgot to duck

I never went to bed in my life and I never ate a meal in my life without saying a prayer. I know my prayers have been answered thousands of times, and I know that I never said a prayer in my life without something good coming of it.

I can't sing and I can't dance, but I can lick any S.O.B. in the house.

Champions get up when they can't.

For the first and only time, I was more worried about getting hurt by the crowd than by the guy I was fighting. I got a pretty good blast when introduced. The crowd was hollering and raising hell. I looked around for my bodyguard, a colorful New York character named Wild Bill Lyons, who packed two pearl-handled pistols and used to talk a lot about his days in the West. Wild Bill was under the ring, hiding.

Don't worry honey, I'm too mean to die.

When I was a young fellow I was knocked down plenty. I wanted to stay down, but I couldn't. I had to collect the two dollars for winning or go hungry. I had to get up. I was one of those hungry fighters. You could have hit me on the chin with a sledgehammer for five dollars. When you haven't eaten for two days you'll understand.