Lennox Lewis Quotes
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I always ask myself why old heavyweights come back, but I plan to stay out of the ring.
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Mike Tyson fit the American ideal of a boxer. A fighter who jumps out of his corner and hits out fiercely. Thats what he'll be remembered for. But good boxing doesnt work like that. Tyson never won on points. It was clear that he'd come a cropper some day.
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I play chess about four hours a day in training camp. You have to decide what move to use, or what combination of moves. I think less when I box because the reaction time is a lot quicker, but some people call me the chess boxer because they say I think too much in the ring. I take my time and they don't see the action they want. Some boxers just go in there and just throw punches and hope to win.
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You've got to understand that everything has its time. I had wonderful years as a boxer, I achieved everything. I dont miss anything.
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The media can make boxers, controls who makes it big and who doesnt. They can build up fighters or knock them down.
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I am just taking the top fights out there for me. People will get bored seeing me every day knock someone out.
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If I don't feel the same hunger as I once did then I definitely shouldn't box any more.
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A great champion needs a background in amateur boxing, I'm convinced of that. There you learn everything that youll need later as a pro. Someone whos got more than 400 amateur fights behind him no longer gets nervous before going into the ring and doesnt lose his nerve during a fight. You know all the boxing styles, youre prepared for anything, youve got the pedigree that you need to be a successful pro.
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[Wladimir] Klitschko has got the experience, so if Tyson [Fury] waits on him, Klitschko will out-box him. But if he uses his speed and reach it will be a great chance for him to win.
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Thomas Hauser respects boxing and boxers. He gives readers insight into what happens in and out of the ring. Everything he writes is fair-minded and reality-based with a human touch.
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If the media didn't know I played chess, there'd be no angle on me at all.
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There is just one rule about boxing: never bet on the white guy.
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I think Kirk Johnson is a more exciting fighter than Chris Byrd. A lot of people agree with me when it comes to that.
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At first I didnt give a damn to go down in history. I wanted to win. But the more I won, the more I thought about leaving something behind. Yes, it's as important as hell to me. I want to leave something that people will remember me by. Of course, a lot of boxers want to do that. But it's not easy. Take Larry Holmes, he was the big man after Muhammad Ali, he wanted to emulate him, but for some reason the public didnt take him like they did to Ali. I think people wont fully understand what I contributed to the sport for years.
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I am the heavyweight champion of the world, and the greatest heavyweight you have seen for a long while. With Tyson on the card, it is definitely an added bonus because Lewis-Tyson on the same card would be a great doubleheader. This is what the fans want to see.
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There were different heroes with different images. There was Mike Tyson, the animal, there was Evander Holyfield, the devout, the priest. And there was me, the thinker, the intellectual boxer. So there was something for every fan, if you like. The public could always identify with one of us.
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I'm undisputed and there's no disputing that.
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I am proud to be in Los Angeles. I have a lot of fans that love me here. When you talk about the Meccas of boxing - Las Vegas, New York - now you have to talk about Los Angeles.
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I was very aggressive as a child. At primary school in London my attitude was 'If you don't do what I say, I'll knowk you out', and I was eventually expelled for fighting.
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People want to see me back in the ring. I think it is more of a drag lying around on the beach.
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It's not rage that drives me, it's competition.
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Recently I donated money to the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Foundation in Louisville. I regard that as a kind of payback. He smoothed the way for us. He wasnt just a great person who had conviction, but made the sport of boxing great. He was the first superstar, he made our stock rise. Without him we wouldnt have earned so much. Americans from every walk of life have contributed to the foundation: Bill Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt. Unfortunately I was the only American athlete to make a donation. Theres not enough respect in our business.
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A boxer should quit at the top, as they say. But thats complicated. There are plenty of people in boxing who make money out off you. And they tell you that youve still got it, that its still getting better.
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After about 25 fights you don't always have to keep going to the bathroom before the fight.