“All of a sudden, one day, you're this boxer that everybody like, or you're this …” — George Foreman

I cannot remember a time when I was not getting into fights.

I want to tell everybody that there is really a living God.

A Jack Russell terrier? My god. He'll burn you up. They never stop. A German shepherd, you can only go so many miles.

I wanted to be the best street fighter in Houston, Texas. And I thought if I got a trophy or two, I'd go back home, and everyone would be afraid of me. I had one fight in '67, the first one. In '68 of October, I was an Olympic gold-medalist, a dream come true, with a total of 25 boxing matches.