There are times and places for tune-ups and stay-busy fights.

I do feel at times like I'm always proving myself. But I also feel that I'm proven. I've proven I can get to the mountaintop.

Did I have rough days? Days I didn't want to train? Days I thought my career would never get back off the ground and possibly be over? Absolutely.

More time than not, athletes, specifically fighters, have a 15 or 20-year career, and unfortunately, we end up right where we started when it's over. All we have is maybe a round of applause when we walk in a room - Hey, there's the champ! That's great; I want that, but I've got to have something tangible to show for it, too.

What sets baseball apart from other sports is the array of skills that every player needs: the speed, the power, the agility.

I'm a big soccer fan, so any soccer player that I meet, I always get star struck. I've met a lot of big stars - Justin Timberlake, Michael Buble - and I don't ever get starstruck, but when I met famous ex-football players, I just got completely starstruck.

My resume, my career, and my legacy in this sport means more to me then collecting some checks.

The first time I played basketball was with my dad and my older brother Thanasis.