Nonito Donaire Quotes

I started boxing when I was eight. Me and my brother Rafael started boxing in amateur tournaments when I was 13. My father was an ex-pro boxer.

Everything in our family was always boxing. It was the life my father chose for me.

I got into boxing because I wanted to fight Tyson.

I boxed 15 years in a club.

My mother used to box, and I followed her footsteps into training. She loves fighting.

I first got into boxing when I was quite young. I was about 12 when I won my first boxing match.

I ran into a couple of guys who were boxers. They talked me into working out at their gym. I became obsessed with boxing and the idea of becoming a champion.

Boxing was the only career where I wouldn't have to start out at the bottom. I had a good resume.

Everything I have in this world, I owe to the sport of boxing, and I won't ever forget that.

We use the term 'fight' very lightly - 'I've been fighting so hard to get my car, I've been fighting so hard to get that job, I've been fighting so hard to get that girl.' But the reality is boxers do fight bitterly to get whatever they want or whatever they need in life, and most of them come from nothing, which is the case of Roberto Duran.

When I was younger, I actually stepped foot in a ring for the first time at 8 years old because of my dad.

A lot of people don't really understand boxing.

I realised that I could either fight and get into trouble on the street or I could fight and get paid in the ring. I chose the ring.

Middleweight is my category.

Boxing is a family tradition. The last five generations down to my dad have been fighters.

My dad loves boxing, so he used to hold up his hands when we were little kids, and we would punch his hands, and he slowly got us little gloves, and little punching bags that he'd always hold for us.

My dad always wanted me to box because he saw a career in it for me.

I just love boxing. Train to get there and to just fight somebody.

My dad was a prize fighter in his youth. My boxing skills are very limited. I did train for most of my youth but couldn't really see the point of getting punched in the head. I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I do enjoy the sport in its purest form. As a child, my heroes were my dad and Muhammad Ali.

At the end of the day, that's just boxing - it's a different sport altogether. But when I finish fighting for the UFC, there are so many different options I have. Boxing is another option I could take.

My brothers first brought me to boxing. I dedicate the fights to them and my father and fight for my family.

For the birth of one champion, there are many young boxers behind them who had setbacks. In terms of that, I think boxing is very dramatic.

From a young age, I was told boxing was not a career option. My dad told me there were other ways to make a living in sport without taking punches to the head. But eventually, curiosity got the better of me. I needed to find out what the big deal was.

My father was champion of North Africa and he beat the European champ. He was very good, a professional for 12 years. We're from a big family of boxers. My father has seven brothers.

I grew up in a gym in Miami, the one where Muhammad Ali trained. I had 142 amateur fights and lost three.