Gerry Cooney Quotes

It's not just the physical aspect of boxing, it's the whole fighter mentality that has been ingrained in me through the years as a competitive athlete. One of the hardest things you'll ever do is to box - to get into the ring and to face off with somebody whose whole goal is to knock you out, to hurt you, and to be able to fight back.

I regret the times I've been mean to people... It's fine to pick on people who can defend themselves and deserve it. Some people don't deserve to be picked on who I picked on, so I don't do it anymore.

My first reaction to any fight opportunity is yes, just out of instincts. That's why I'm in this sport.

Listen folks, if you want your son to grow up to be a man, don't have him run around on a field kicking a ball; get him wrestling.

You've got to be humble; you've got to be nice to everyone. But when you're in the ring, that's the time to let your fists do the talking, and that's the time for action.

I'm a fight finisher.

I will always go for the submission instead of hurting my opponent.

I treat myself more as an athlete instead of as a fighter. As a fighter, you're going out there as a street thug, relying on your hands, trying to knock someone out, being overly aggressive.

I don't have any ill will towards any of my opponents. I understand we are the highest calibre of athlete in this sport, and we will both go and give it our all. But I don't want anyone to misinterpret what I am saying: when we step into that octagon and we touch gloves, I am going to break his face.

If it amuses you to hit people, you do boxing - you do taekwondo - whatever you want. But you don't play football.

Whatever any boxer does in the ring, I don't think any reporter should call him a coward. Anyone who does that I lose complete respect for. There's a difference between being a coward and being scared, or apprehensive. Different fighters have got different mentalities.

I dare you to put me in a back alley with Randy Orton or someone like that. I guarantee I'm not afraid of someone taller.

I don't feel any remorse or guilt after a fight. I can sympathise with an opponent who is getting a beating, but if it is the choice between him and me, it's not gonna be me.

You can't play with fear in football. There is a lot of respect - you have respect for everybody, the ones on top and the bottom - but never fear.

I never go into a fight thinking, 'I have to finish this guy' - that's not a part of my game plan. I go out there and fight the way I fight.

Jiu-jitsu teaches you not to hurt your opponent, and that's inside of me.

For me, fighting is in the blood, and it's something I grew up doing.

I'm just a normal fellow who gets punched in the face for a living and gets punched really hard at times as well. But you know what? I'm all right at punching them back.

I'm the type of fighter who has never made an excuse. I fought with a broken rib, broken leg.

I'm always supportive of my brothers who have the guts to step in the cage. Pro wrestling is dangerous but it takes a special kind of courage to lock yourself in a cage that wants to do you harm.

The reality is this: Fighting isn't a team sport; it's an individual's sport.

I watch a little bit of tape to pick up small stuff, but I don't try to pick apart my opponent's game plan. I'm going to keep coming forward. I don't ever take a step backward. I get hit, and I'm right back into range.

It's great that mixed martial arts allows people to still be in touch with their animal side and duke it out in a cage, but I think it's important: we're still nurturing beings, and we should still have compassion for each other.

I always want to fight guys that want to test me.

As fighters, the stark reality is, there's times in that cage when we want out. There's times when we've had enough and we want out, and we're able to recognize defeat.