Evander Holyfield Quotations

The word of God steadies me. He says your trials and tribulations make you who you are. So you can see my whole story in the way I endured and overcame some testing experiences.

It is not the size of a man but the size of his heart that matters.

When at a young age you learn to face your fears, that makes the difference between people being champions and people not being champions.

Well, when I think of steroids I think of an image. You have the advantage over someone, which is a form of cheating. I guess it wouldn't be right unless it was legal for everybody. Reason it's not legal for everybody is because it can hurt people seriously.

Deep down, I reckon the sweetest moment will come when it's finally all over. When, at last, I know that I can stop fighting. Of course it'll also be a little sad. The sweetest moments, y'know, always come with just a little sadness.

If you don't take no chances, then you're not a performer. Performers always take chances. You go see a singer, they'll hit the high note. They'll hit that note, they're not afraid, they're gonna exaggerate the fact and make me enjoy it, make me say, 'Wow, I wish I could do that!

People who make the choice to study, work hard or do whatever they endeavor is to give it the max on themselves to reach to the top level. And you have the people who get envy and jealous, yet are not willing to put that work in, and they want to get the same praise.

I beat Larry Holmes and George Foreman. I whupped Mike Tyson twice. I had my ear chewed off and spat on the ground in front of me. I've seen everything it is possible to see in boxing. I know this business better than anyone. So I live and die by my own decisions.

Madison Square Garden, November 1984. I don't recall taking too much fear into the ring. I knew I could fight. But I got a big shock. They put me in with this rough, tough veteran called Lionel Byarm. He tested me to the limit. But I fought my heart out and, in the end, I prevailed. The story of my life, in my very first fight.

I'm just one woman away, my mother, from being the same as Mike Tyson. I would've ended up like him if my mama had not been so tough and strong. A lot of people, including Mike, don't know I came from the ghetto. They think I'm too nice and proper. But that's the way my mama raised me - to look people in the eye and respect them.

My goal is to be the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World.

From what I hear is happening, young Indian boxers have started to do well on the world stage and started to gain the attention of the general audience.

I came up poor. My mother only had a fourth-grade education. My dad didn't have any education at all. But they were very structured. They worked hard. You know, they didn't complain. They didn't murmur. And they believe in the Christ.

A sight game is that I am hurt, but I aim to make you believe I am not even hurt, and with this confidence appearing on my face, I don't panic, otherwise your opponent will know that you are hurt. That's the whole art game in boxing.

As far as working out, I know exactly what I'm doing.

They don't show Olympic boxing on TV in prime time. They haven't done that since 1988. In 1992, they showed one: Oscar De La Hoya. In 1996, they didn't show it. In 2000, they didn't show it. In 2004, they didn't show it. In 2008, they did not even mention boxing at all. You would think the United States didn't have a boxing team in 2008.

Fighters find it hard to give up doing what they do best - fighting for a living.

That's the biggest problem with boxing in the United States. They do not promote it like they used to, when it used to be Howard Cosell and they showed it on 'Wide World of Sports.' Everybody knew all the fighters. Everybody was looking forward to the year when the Olympics came on.

The main thing about Bruce Lee is that, he was a little guy. And you know, his quickness, his aggressiveness, his explosive power, you have to be a great athlete to have all these, his body, his look, you know, all these things have to do with discipline and structure. He was able to go against the biggest guy, regardless of who he was.

No. I probably do better not being in politics. They have too much control over you when you are in politics.

The game's been good to me and I hope I've been good to the game. I'm 50 years old and I've pretty much did everything that I wanted to do in boxing.

I got three whippings a day from my mama.

Sugar leaves you stranded; I make sure I have the proper amount of protein before I work out.

We lived in a real rough place but my mother kept me straight.

The big guys choose who they want to fight and they think about history: 'how many times I defended my title.' They try to break a record: 'how long I was there.' But if you look at the pedigree, who they fought, ain't nobody gonna give them credit for it because they fought a lot of people with no experience.

Well, number one I like dancing. Number two I knew it would be challenging because I had never done this type of dance before. I always wanted to and I happened to have the courage to go out there and give it my best shot.

Well, of course a boxing match is hard because boxing isn't set for you to do good. You have to force your will upon someone, but dancing you don't have to force your will. It should be a lot easier because if I make a mistake I don't get hit.

Of course, it is me being able to reach my goal,

Get me a home and a good-paying job, take care of my family.

He meant so much for the sport and to the people.

Someone has done this before. George Foreman did it,

I still love Mike; it's just those demons that possess him and make him do things. He needs to find a new savior.

I was ready to tackle him, throw him down, do something that would get me disqualified.

Why have anyone go through all that if you're still going to make the decision that he can't fight?

Well, I always knew that the best fighter would get into the hall of fame. There was no doubt in mind that I would get there. I really would rather get in there the right way and be happy once I get there because that means it's the end of your career and there are other things.

They're looking at the wrong angle. If I was a guy who never been heavyweight champ of the world or a guy never made any money, then they say 'Well, I can understand.' But why do you have to understand for me to know the point, the commitment to what I believe? See, I have a commitment with God. Even before I became heavyweight champion of world, I said 'Lord, I want to do this for you and I will give you the glory. I will stay out here as long as you want me to.'

I'm going back to the drawing board and pray and give it serious thought.

I knew with his mentality, his ego, he was gonna try to knock me out, which was gonna allow me to really hit him, ... But my corner stopped it. That was a disappointment I had to overcome, to be able to understand that they actually felt I shouldn't be taking no punches and that they didn't want me to get hurt. So now I have to find a new trainer.

I have to have someone who believes I can do it, just like I believe I can.

I support the cause of the global peace rally and I look forward to being here and support and hoping that everybody can come together and share same vision about being in one world. Its gonna take more than one person to do this.

When you have a sound mind, you can do what's necessary.

I've had a great life following my faith and my instincts.

I lived in a project and...didn't have a good education. But...I'd listen to the preacher, who said that God would show me the way. Everything starts from that confidence.

The most important thing about being a father is being able to forgive yourself. If you don't forgive yourself, you're not going to forgive your kids, either.

He listens to his trainer real good. He just doesn't listen to me. I still can't get him to do nothing.

I have to have an adjustment before I go into the ring. I do believe in chiropractic. I found that going to a chiropractor three times a week helps my performance. The majority of boxers go to get that edge.

A setback only paves the way for a comeback.

Odds are just the people opinion. Respect your own opinion.

Pressure bursts pipes. I thank God for giving me peace of mind to overcome pressure. The difference between winning and losing is when pressure hits.

Stay on your toes and always move forward.

A champion shows who he is by what he does.

If you quit every time things don't go your way, then you'll be quitting all through your life.