V.Interesting quotes from new Nige interview
Posted: 07 Jul 2007, 14:00
"Even though i made £10 million in 10 years, i never felt like i was rich and certainly haven't got money to burn now. You see, i always spent it as soon as i got it, always. I had houses all over the place- quite a few in the East End over the years, some out in Miami, Tenerife, LA. Just loads of houses.
"i bought clothes every afternoon after training, changed my jewellary every week, most of the jewellary i had was unworn, and because i was training so much i'd eat alot and spend maybe two grand a month on food alone- the vast majority of people don't have two grand in their bank account and probably never have had.
"Actually, i used to pity people because i thought 'I'm not all that happy and i've got all this material and bank statements with all these telephone numbers on, what must they feel!?'. Now i know the majority of people must have been far happier than i was.
"You know, i was clubbing every night, buying everyone drinks every night for 10 years! It was crazy. i had all the flash motors, bought flash motors for alot of my mates. i was buying clothes or jewellary for every family member in London, even distant blood, i'd go through each family member over time then start back over again and again!
"it's just crazy when i think back. Having girls and women throwing themselves at me all the time, and standing there and catching them like frizbees!
"But when you do all that, all you're doing it for is a fix. The fact you need a fix points to problems. Those who don't need a fix have true friends to turn to or God- i had neither. i thought i had friends, but when i realised i had none i almost killed myself."
"When you're looking for a fix that's because you're looking to get away from the devil for a few hours, a few minutes even. instead of looking for a fix, or buying fixes, i'm asking people to look for God and pick up a Bible for free. He beats the devil hands down, with 20 ounce sparring gloves he sparks him out every time!"
"Tyson and Hagler were my heros, but i'd never let them know when i met them because i wanted to look cool in front of them! i wouldn't kiss their hands or bow, even though inside i felt like it. Actually, i never told anyone i had heros because i thought it would show weakness. Whenever i cried, i always made sure i was alone for the same reason. When you need fix after fix, things well up inside and it eventually causes a breakdown. i had my fair share of breakdowns, put it that way.
"When you're a bully, you can't show what you percieve as any kind of weakness in front of anyone because then you're dropping you're mask and you won't be able to walk out the house. The only reason i went to Miami was because i was too embarassed to walk down the street anywhere in Britain after the Watson fight!
"i actually tried to stop my American debut fight being shown on British TV because i was still embarassed from the Watson fight. i guess i had alot of issues."
"Tyson was my man. Hagler got me into boxing, but Tyson got me in love with boxing. When Hagler fought Minter, i hadn't really sat and watched boxing before that - my thing was martial arts.
"Me and my mates would try to copy moves from martial arts films and i even entered a kickboxing tournament with no proper training. Then there was this Alan Minter boxing match on so i watched it and fell for Hagler. Obviously, him being aggressive and bullying Alan around the ring appealed to me.
"But when i was in the Army and then boxing at West Ham, even though i was sparking everyone i fought, boxing wasn't high on my agenda. i'd watch Hearns and Duran if they were on, didn't like Leonard, i watched Tony Sibson and never wanted to miss a Hagler fight.
"it (boxing) was just my way of letting out my aggression legally, stopping me streetfighting and going to jail."
"it (the aggression) came from the fact my warrior knight had been taken away when i was eight, namely my older brother Andy who i was besotted with. My view was that somebody out there did that to him and if there was even the slightest chance it could be the lad i'm boxing, or before that the average lad walking past me in the street, i'm sure as hell going to make him pay! Bang, bang-bang, i'd just lose it. it was the devil. He had me on a string."
"i saw Tyson coming through the ranks on Grandstand and that's what inspired me to carry on boxing. i pretty much quit (boxing) when i lost for the first time - to Rod Douglas, the future pro. But seeing Tyson coming through the ranks on Grandstand, that's the sole reason i went away and trained myself ragged every day and came back and bashed Douglas up and won the ABAs and turned pro."
"i will still follow boxing, but i don't really love the sport anymore. i was at the Hatton fight in Vegas. But when you realise God wants us to look after eachother and not put any harm on eachother, it turns you off boxing. i like to think boxing was just a part of my life, nine years out of 43 and a half years is a small section.
"in many ways it's the work of the devil. i am still a fan of the sport, but what i'm trying to endorse is prayers over punches. if someone dies with a needle in his arm, could he have been saved by boxing? No. He's going to a place far worse. Only God can save you. God, and only God. Boxing doesn't save anyone."
"David Haye has great speed and power. When he hits any cruiserweight right, they aren't going to get up. (And) He'll beat any heavyweight to the punch. That's my call.
"Ricky has two or three big fights left in him. He should leave Junior Witter where he is, i was on the cusp of greatness three times but lost fights i was supposed to win three times and didn't need to take any of those fights. i could have gone and fought Michael Nunn, Tommy Hearns and Roy Jones in America instead and broke the bank, and they were all hittable and i could hit.
"That's why Calzaghe needs to go over there (America) now and forget everyone else. He needs a boxer like Bernard Hopkins or Jermain Taylor next or he may well regret it."
"After McClellan, i fought for money. i wasn't fighting for glory (after McClellan)- not truly. Not only that, but i had alot of damage that didn't help. There was scar tissue on my brain that had no time to heal, i mean i was slurring my words!- i'm not now. There was internal damage- traces of blood in my urine from busted kidneys that had no time to heal, which they are (healed) now.
"Actually, if i made a comeback right now at 43, but with the hunger i had for glory when i was fighting for titles not money, i reckon i could give the Nigel Benn of his last three or five fights abit of a going over!"
"i bought clothes every afternoon after training, changed my jewellary every week, most of the jewellary i had was unworn, and because i was training so much i'd eat alot and spend maybe two grand a month on food alone- the vast majority of people don't have two grand in their bank account and probably never have had.
"Actually, i used to pity people because i thought 'I'm not all that happy and i've got all this material and bank statements with all these telephone numbers on, what must they feel!?'. Now i know the majority of people must have been far happier than i was.
"You know, i was clubbing every night, buying everyone drinks every night for 10 years! It was crazy. i had all the flash motors, bought flash motors for alot of my mates. i was buying clothes or jewellary for every family member in London, even distant blood, i'd go through each family member over time then start back over again and again!
"it's just crazy when i think back. Having girls and women throwing themselves at me all the time, and standing there and catching them like frizbees!
"But when you do all that, all you're doing it for is a fix. The fact you need a fix points to problems. Those who don't need a fix have true friends to turn to or God- i had neither. i thought i had friends, but when i realised i had none i almost killed myself."
"When you're looking for a fix that's because you're looking to get away from the devil for a few hours, a few minutes even. instead of looking for a fix, or buying fixes, i'm asking people to look for God and pick up a Bible for free. He beats the devil hands down, with 20 ounce sparring gloves he sparks him out every time!"
"Tyson and Hagler were my heros, but i'd never let them know when i met them because i wanted to look cool in front of them! i wouldn't kiss their hands or bow, even though inside i felt like it. Actually, i never told anyone i had heros because i thought it would show weakness. Whenever i cried, i always made sure i was alone for the same reason. When you need fix after fix, things well up inside and it eventually causes a breakdown. i had my fair share of breakdowns, put it that way.
"When you're a bully, you can't show what you percieve as any kind of weakness in front of anyone because then you're dropping you're mask and you won't be able to walk out the house. The only reason i went to Miami was because i was too embarassed to walk down the street anywhere in Britain after the Watson fight!
"i actually tried to stop my American debut fight being shown on British TV because i was still embarassed from the Watson fight. i guess i had alot of issues."
"Tyson was my man. Hagler got me into boxing, but Tyson got me in love with boxing. When Hagler fought Minter, i hadn't really sat and watched boxing before that - my thing was martial arts.
"Me and my mates would try to copy moves from martial arts films and i even entered a kickboxing tournament with no proper training. Then there was this Alan Minter boxing match on so i watched it and fell for Hagler. Obviously, him being aggressive and bullying Alan around the ring appealed to me.
"But when i was in the Army and then boxing at West Ham, even though i was sparking everyone i fought, boxing wasn't high on my agenda. i'd watch Hearns and Duran if they were on, didn't like Leonard, i watched Tony Sibson and never wanted to miss a Hagler fight.
"it (boxing) was just my way of letting out my aggression legally, stopping me streetfighting and going to jail."
"it (the aggression) came from the fact my warrior knight had been taken away when i was eight, namely my older brother Andy who i was besotted with. My view was that somebody out there did that to him and if there was even the slightest chance it could be the lad i'm boxing, or before that the average lad walking past me in the street, i'm sure as hell going to make him pay! Bang, bang-bang, i'd just lose it. it was the devil. He had me on a string."
"i saw Tyson coming through the ranks on Grandstand and that's what inspired me to carry on boxing. i pretty much quit (boxing) when i lost for the first time - to Rod Douglas, the future pro. But seeing Tyson coming through the ranks on Grandstand, that's the sole reason i went away and trained myself ragged every day and came back and bashed Douglas up and won the ABAs and turned pro."
"i will still follow boxing, but i don't really love the sport anymore. i was at the Hatton fight in Vegas. But when you realise God wants us to look after eachother and not put any harm on eachother, it turns you off boxing. i like to think boxing was just a part of my life, nine years out of 43 and a half years is a small section.
"in many ways it's the work of the devil. i am still a fan of the sport, but what i'm trying to endorse is prayers over punches. if someone dies with a needle in his arm, could he have been saved by boxing? No. He's going to a place far worse. Only God can save you. God, and only God. Boxing doesn't save anyone."
"David Haye has great speed and power. When he hits any cruiserweight right, they aren't going to get up. (And) He'll beat any heavyweight to the punch. That's my call.
"Ricky has two or three big fights left in him. He should leave Junior Witter where he is, i was on the cusp of greatness three times but lost fights i was supposed to win three times and didn't need to take any of those fights. i could have gone and fought Michael Nunn, Tommy Hearns and Roy Jones in America instead and broke the bank, and they were all hittable and i could hit.
"That's why Calzaghe needs to go over there (America) now and forget everyone else. He needs a boxer like Bernard Hopkins or Jermain Taylor next or he may well regret it."
"After McClellan, i fought for money. i wasn't fighting for glory (after McClellan)- not truly. Not only that, but i had alot of damage that didn't help. There was scar tissue on my brain that had no time to heal, i mean i was slurring my words!- i'm not now. There was internal damage- traces of blood in my urine from busted kidneys that had no time to heal, which they are (healed) now.
"Actually, if i made a comeback right now at 43, but with the hunger i had for glory when i was fighting for titles not money, i reckon i could give the Nigel Benn of his last three or five fights abit of a going over!"
they probably wouldnt like you either!