One of my short films was about a boxer.
When I won the Golden Gloves in 1960, that made me realize I had a chance. And when I won at the Olympics, that sealed it: I was the champ.
I had my first professional fight was in 2001 in Venezuela - it was also my first international trip away from Brazil. It was a great experience. Then in 2005, I went to Finland and won. The next year there was a tournament in Brazil with three fights in one night. I was the underdog and won all three fights.
When I was younger, growing up in Pittsburgh, they had a 'Golden Gloves' program through the Boys and Girls Club. In Pittsburgh, New York, Philly, Washington, those areas, I would go and spar at competitions.
I was fighting at 125 pounds when I was 15 years old... then became a champion at 126 pounds at 25 years old.
I actually won the Copper Gloves in Arizona.
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.
But as an amateur, the highest level you can box at is the Olympics. I did that at 18 and felt it was time to move on to other challenges as a professional.
I had dreams in 2000 of being an Olympian for boxing. I never talk about it.
I saw a chance to make the 1988 Olympic boxing team and forgot all about football.
When we first started in Huntington Recreation with John Capobianco, we put four kids in the Golden Gloves finals. We didn't even have a ring. We trained at Stimson Junior High School. They give us the gym three nights a week. We used to box in the gym - no ring, just on the gym floor.
Even as a teenager, I wanted to move up the weights and win belts.
My brother and I were still in high school playing football, and we were both middleweight, and we couldn't find anyone else to fight in our weight class, so we'd fight each other. I was a stand-up fighter, and Ike was a weaving type of fighter, and we fought that way out there at Cy Young's farm, and we put on quite a show.
When I was about 12, I realised I wasn't going to make it as a top footballer, but I won my first British ABA title at 13. From then on, I wanted to be a world champion.
I didn't even know about amateur boxing, period.
I boxed in Golden Gloves at Oxford and still know how to throw a straight left jab.
When I was 15 years old, I left school and became a professional boxer.
With amateur boxing, you're just entered into a competition. And to be the best, you've got to beat the best. You're not waiting around to get these fights organised.
I've won junior titles, ABA titles and boxed for England all over the world against future Olympic champions as an amateur - and then beat world-class fighters as a professional.
At 19, I was European champion, and at 21, I was world champion. Let's just hope Amir Khan can follow in the same footsteps. I believe he can do it 100%; he's a fantastic talent.
Before the start of the '76 Olympics, I'd had 160 amateur fights. I won 155 and lost five.
My dad was actually a college boxer at L.S.U. and a good one, too. He was the captain of the boxing team.
My first four fights in amateur at middleweight, and the first four professional were at welterweight. And I just kind of went down from there.
Ali vs. Stevenson would have served as a symbolic battle between the United States and Cuba, capitalism and communism: Castro's values instilled in his boxers pitted against the values of 'merchandise' boxers from the rest of the world.
I'm somebody from a little tiny town, who had boxed in leisure centres, and my last fight was in Madison Square Garden against one of the greats. What a great way to finish off.
