Quotes and sayings from the world of boxing

Quotes and sayings from the world of boxing 

In hardly any other sport does "trash talk" play such a big role as in boxing. And there is hardly any other sport in which so many big slogans are made about competitions as before a boxing match.

Even in the early days of themodern boxing the fighters engaged in wild duels. Thefamous boxers Muhammad Ali finally perfected the art of quick words. And even today, for many boxers, rattling is simply part of the business. Reason enough for us to look back at the best sayings and quotes from boxers, promoters and TV experts.

THE BEST QUOTES AND SAYINGS FROM THE WORLD OF BOXING

"I've already told people that I'm the greatest, but I didn't realise I was the greatest myself."

- Muhammad Ali

"If you even dream of beating me, then you should wake up as soon as possible and apologise to me."

- Muhammad Ali

"The question is not at what age I retire. The question is at what account balance."

- Heavyweight legend George Foreman on his comeback in the 1990s

"He may have a big heart, he may punch harder and be stronger than me, but there is no boxer who is smarter than me."

- Floyd Mayweather before his fight against Oscar de la Hoya

"Suddenly I woke up, I was lying on the floor and the referee was staring me in the face and shouting: six, three, seven, five!"

- Lennox Lewis on his surprising KO defeat to Oliver McCall in 1994

"You only made one mistake. You signed the contract for this fight."

- Ferdie Pacheco on the question of whether Sugar Ray Leonard and his trainer Angelo Dundee made mistakes before Leonard's defeat to Roberto Duran

"No Mas."

- Roberto Duran signals to his corner at the end of the eighth round of the rematch against Sugar Ray Leonard that he wants to retire

"What was a lie yesterday is the truth today."

- Boxing promoter Bob Arum on his work

"Earnie Shavers could break your ankles by hitting your head."

- Heavyweight Randall Cobb on the punching power of his rival Earnie Shavers

"I want his heart. I want to devour his children. May Allah be with me!"

- Mike Tyson during one of his infamous interviews before the fight against Lennox Lewis

"The time may now have come to say goodbye to Muhammad Ali. For the life of me, I can't imagine how he could beat George Foreman."

- US commentary legend Howard Cosell before Ali's sensational KO victory over Foreman in Zaire

"I tried training once."

- Ralf Rocchigiani on his World Championship win

"As soon as the bell rings, you're on your own. Then it's just you and the other guy."

- Heavyweight legend Joe Louis on his sport

"Nobody understands why Holyfield wants to fight Tyson. Wouldn't it be easier to stand in front of a moving train?"

- Michael Moorer on Evander Holyfield's chances against Mike Tyson. Holyfield ended up winning the fight by knockout in the eleventh round.

"The hero and the loser both feel the same. But the hero uses his fear and projects it onto his opponent while the loser runs away. It's the same fear, but it depends on how you deal with it."

- US coaching icon Cus D'Amato

"I've boxed Sugar so many times... I'm surprised I didn't get diabetes."

- Jake LaMotta on his rivalry with Sugar Ray Robinson, who he faced six times in the ring

"Boxers get to know each other better in twelve rounds than some people do in twelve years in the office."

- Wilfried Sauerland

"There are no dream fights, there are only dream salaries."

- Former champion Dariusz Michalczewski

"No, no. I don't think his hands can take any more."

- Randall Cobb on a possible rematch with Larry Holmes

"If they ever cut open my bald head, they'll find a big boxing glove. That's all I am. I live and breathe boxing."

- Middleweight legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler

A flight attendant to Muhammad Ali: "Please fasten your seatbelt."

Ali: "Superman doesn't need a seatbelt."

Flight attendant: "Superman doesn't need an aeroplane."

"Why did anyone think he'd become smarter? He spent three years in prison, not at Princeton."

- Promoter Dan Duva on Mike Tyson re-signing with Don King after his release from prison

"I wish that people would love each other as much as they love me. The world would be a better place."

- Muhammad Ali

What is your favourite saying? And who do you think is the best patterer?

Note regarding the images:

The images used in this article were created using artificial intelligence (AI). The people depicted are entirely fictional and do not represent any real athletes.

Of course, we would prefer to show you real boxers and athletes. However, in practice, professional sports photos often involve very high licensing costs and can quickly cost several hundred Swiss francs per image. To continue offering our content free of charge, we sometimes use AI-generated illustrations.