I watched Ali, studied Ali, and I studied Sugar Ray Robinson. I watched them display showmanship. I watched them use pizzazz, personality, and charisma. I took things from them and borrowed things from them because boxing is entertainment.
Although boxing is a sport, it's still entertainment. You've still got the fear, press conferences, the stare-downs. It's all an act in some ways. My whole life I've been doing it. I love this side of boxing - as much as the actual fight.
In the 1930s, in boxing, to be the heavyweight champion of the world was really, really big, people wanted to see the toughest guys. But what I've figured out now, in the '50s, '60s, boxing started to become more entertainment than sport.
I can't watch a [Floyd] Mayweather fight. I don't find it exciting. I used to watch boxing in the [Michael] Tyson era when it was exciting. Now it's all bob and weave, a punch here and there. It is not entertaining.
People don't like to see a sloppy fight, to see heavyweights wallow around. They like to see exciting fighters.
If we're just going to have contenders fighting just to fight, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Then I might as well just start jumping around divisions too because there's a lot of fun fights for myself in other divisions that I think I would love to entertain.
For me, boxing isn't about hurting each other. Boxing is entertainment and making people happy.
Fights are nice because I can hang with my girlfriend and not leave the house. Shows are nice because that's how I can afford $65 pay-per-view fights and to go to Vegas and see them live.
I would love to fight someone like Dominic Breazeale next year. Him or the Polish guy, Adam Kownacki. That's more of an entertaining one. I love watching him fight. He smiles while he's fighting and I think that's the coolest thing to watch.
A fight with Mike Tyson or Riddick Bowe always sells, because those people came to win. When you come to win, people will see a good show. When you come to survive, it can become boring.
Las Vegas is the boxing capital. During a Floyd Mayweather fight weekend, you can shop, party, stay out late and do anything you want. The city of Las Vegas has everything.
The seventies and eighties are when the division was really good. The fights were very enjoyable and everyone knew when the next fight was. Nowadays, you don't even know who won a fight three days after it happens. We need heavyweights, the people want heavyweights.
