boxers-from-england

"If I believe any man in history can beat me, I'm not gonna be the fighter I think I'm gonna be."

"I was the baby of a large family, and as a youngster fresh to an infant school my mother tried to break me of lefthandedness. I always held my knife in the left hand and fork in the right. One day at dinner my mother said, ' You're not a boy; you must be girl to eat your food like that. We shall have to call you Peggy.' My elder brothers, always glad to take it out of me, carried that name to school, where the other boys seized upon it, and it has stuck to me through a life-time, though it is years since anybody was curious enough to ask how I got it."

"The question of uniformity of weight is most desirable, but there are other matters that also demand attention. So far as weights are concerned, if a lad at 8st 8lb has proved himself best at that weight and is willing to dispute the premiership with any other boxer in the world, he is as much entitled to call himself champion of the world at 8st 8lb as is the equally unbeatable champion who is 2lb heavier. But yet we cannot afford to have too many classes for recognised world’s championship titles, and the eight divisions suggested by the ‘Sporting Life’ seem ample to meet all requirements. Let the weights be decided later, however. I agree that the present vast number of boxers makes it necessary that a couple of extra classes added to the six at present acknowledged, but for these extra classes there should be a distinctive nomenclature. To call a man light-heavy-weight conveys the meaning, but it is a paradoxical term at best.One very important rule that should be established and rigorously enforced is the elimination of all 'win, lose or draw’ demands of title holders. A boxer holding the title should be compelled to defend it against a bona-fide challenger, who has genuine backing within a period of three to six months after the challenge has been issued. Should the holder decline to meet his rival, then the title should pass forfeit to the challenger provided the latter signifies his intention to defend it against all legitimate claimants.It is probable—and it would be good for the sport—that a series of belts representing the various championships should follow; the belts to be held by the title holders during their tenure; these belts, of course, to pass from one title holder to his successor, with the exception that when one holder has successfully defended it for certain number years, or against a certain number of challengers, the belt should become his permanent property, and a new one obtained for his successor. It would good idea to launch these belts into the sport by way a tournament, conducted in manner similar to wrestling tournament be held the Alhambra, but in boxing tournament it might difficult to gather tho best men in the world. Still, it would be a most excellent idea if i it could carried out, and should like see it.""

"O'Keeffe approaches a milkman whilst out in London recruiting, prods a youth pushing a milk cart :"Say, don't you want to serve your king?" "Yus" answered the youth "How many quarts will he want?""

"Soldiering has made a new man of me, regular hours and good plain food have done much to build up my strength and stamina. I feel stronger than ever."

"Stop it Billy! - I'm not the kaiser!"

"I think that [as a vegan] I’m now fitter than I've ever been. I punch harder than ever. I’m more determined. I’m faster. … Diet’s the biggest thing, because your body is a machine."

"I watched a TV documentary about how animals are farmed, killed and prepared for us to eat. I saw all those cows and pigs and realised I couldn’t be a part of it any more. It was horrible. I did some research to make sure I could still obtain enough protein to fight and, once satisfied that I could, I stopped [eating animal products]. I’ll never go back."

"I’m born in Britain – but my family were born in Pakistan. When I fight, in the crowd you see Pakistani people and you see British people – they’re all mixed together and they support Amir Khan. On my shorts, when I fight, I have the Pakistani flag on one side and on the other side I have the Britain flag – to promote the two countries together."

"When I was young, I was very energetic and strong – just too hyperactive. So when I went to the boxing club, everything seemed normal to me. I enjoyed it, I liked punching things, hitting the boxing bag, fighting people in the boxing ring and in school I was naughty as well; but when I started boxing, I totally changed everything – you know, my whole life changed, I was good, I didn’t misbehave, I was always behaving in school. The teacher was happy with my behaviour."

"At the age of eight, my dream was to become a world champion; and now I've achieved that title. I've achieved it not only for myself, but achieved it for the British people and also the Pakistani community - and all the Muslims in the country. It's a great feeling, a dream come true for me and Insha'Allah in the future, I want to achieve more things like this."

"I don't back any party, I'm better off setting an example."

"I was a mummy's boy; I still am. My mum still gets rid of the spiders off my walls. She comes over, picks them up and chucks them outside. There may be one in my bedroom, and I'll never sleep."

"I always pray before fighting. I pray in the corner, in the hotel room – maybe two hours before I go to the arena. It takes me far – I see a big difference when you pray and go into a fight; you have more strength and also you know God’s helping you."

"There are tough men but let me tell you I know from experience that really dangerous men have no pity. I'm not an unreasonable man but if you are a man and you take a liberty with me or cross me, then believe what I say: When it comes to retribution I have no pity or conscience. If that makes me the devil, then the devil I am, but I haven't got horns sticking out of my head or cloven hooves and a tail but if you're unlucky enough to have me come after you, beware cos hell's coming with me."

"I know that if I am not at my best and I do not perform I will lose. I'm never over-confident. Over-confidence is a weakness because it stops you training as hard as you should. It has happened to fighters like Naseem Hamed and Lennox Lewis. Complacency beats fighters."

"Lennox is right up there with George Foreman and Muhammad Ali and he has proved himself the best heavyweight out there."

"Action is what separates the do-ers from the dreamers."

"I've found that taking shortcuts will get you to the place you don't want to be much quicker than they get u to the place u want to be."

"I have always been English, ever since I emigrated from England and since the kids in Canada beat me up at the age of twelve for having an East London Cockney accent. I thank them for the cockney taunts because the beatings turned me on to boxing. But on a serious note Canada has been kind to me."

"If I could fight anyone it would be Jack Johnson - he was so ahead of his time. I would like to have the opportunity to fight Tyson too and I'm sure it will arise if he can face me. I would not like to have fought Muhammed Ali as I have too much respect for him on a personal and professional level. Larry Holmes, Ali's ex-sparring partner, fought Muhammed Ali and hated himself after giving him an unnecessary beating after winning. The only reason he won was because of Ali's ageing boxing skills."

"In boxing, if you think you will lose..you're already halfway there."

"I have known for a long time now that Lennox is the best heavyweight since Ali and the world should now acknowledge that."

"Adversity is something that makes reaching your goals so much more rewarding than if it didn't exist. ."

"Sometimes success needs interruption to regain focus and shake off complacency."

"Lennox is beyond doubt the greatest heavyweight of all-time. He is not second any more, he is there at the top of the tree. It reminded me of a young George Foreman and an elusive Muhammad Ali - everything you want in a fighter."

"The danger of a closed mind is that it can also leave good things like love, compassion and reason on its outside."

"For courage, for power, for skill, for fighting will, there is nothing on record that holds a candle to Fitz."

"He knows all the vulnerable spots of the human anatomy as well as the most erudite surgeon in the business and has a greater variety of effective blows than any fighter who ever lived."

"It's all about discipline - and having an inner calm. That's one of the main driving forces for me when I step into the ring - you can’t have a fight and lose your temper. You need to remain calm and focused when everything around you is in chaos. It's a similar thing for the buddhists - they remain calm and disciplined in the hurly burly of everyday life."

"Eubank has forgotten his roots. He is of African origin and seems to have forgotten that -"

"This is so personal it makes Chris Eubank look like an old friend of mine by comparison."

"I do detest him, I really do. It's no joke. I can't stand him"

"I was always fighting from a young age… I wouldn’t back down, I knew Andy wouldn’t have backed down."

"I don’t know if I wanted to top myself or if I just wanted someone to hug me."

"He has unbelievable body punching power and is exciting to watch."

"In accordance to the way that Benn speaks, he is not educated. Sure, he's educated to a certain extent, but under different circumstances he would be a bouncer on some door in the West End and he'd have three kids from three different women … I am a superior person to that. I have finer points. So, superior in mentality, yes. As a fighter in accordance to the trade, yes."

"It would give me a terrific sense of satisfaction to be the man who sent both Eubank and Benn into retirement. Benn doesn't need me to tell him that he's over the hill because, deep down, he knows it."

"In accordance to the way that Benn speaks, he is not educated. Sure, he's educated to a certain extent, but under different circumstances he would be a bouncer on some door in the West End and he'd have three kids from three different women … I am a superior person to that. I have finer points. So, superior in mentality, yes. As a fighter in accordance to the trade, yes"

"To be accused of ignoring my roots is pig ignorant. Collins's racist comment has focused my mind on the fight and I will beat him."

"Tony Blair: Military occupation causes terrorism."

"Blair, don't send our young prince to your catastrophic illegal war to make it look plausible."

"MR BROWN You know that the policy in Iraq cannot succeed. Democracy cannot be exported with a gun. You can be the Great Leader and the Great Peacemaker"

"I do detest him, I really do. It's no joke. I can't stand him"

"People might think that boxers are all animals and nasty people. But at the end of the day, we're all brothers: black or white, yellow or pink. We are all in the same business, and after the fight we are hugging each other like we're gay."

"Boxing is the toughest and loneliest sport in the world."

"The Ricky Hatton that beat Kostya Tszyu in 2005 can beat Floyd Mayweather,he was so focused and in such amazing physical shape that he would have given anybody at that level a tough time."

"When I retire, I'll get Ricky Hatton to wash my clothes and cut my lawn and buckle my shoes."

"Ricky Hatton ain't nothing but a fat man. I'm going to punch him in his beer belly when I see him."

"He is doing the show 'Dancing with the Stars' and that's how he's boxing."