Getting hit motivates me. It makes me punish the guy more. A fighter takes a punch, hits back with three punches.

Fame doesn't make me any different. I am the same man now who grew up in the hard streets of Panama. I am just myself. I always will be. Whoever wants to talks to me, talks to me. Whoever loves me, loves me for who I am.

Nobody stands out right now. Everybody has similar styles. None of these fighters have reinvented the wheel and created a new style.

I was born to be champion of the world.

So often, our sporting allegiances are shaped by family tradition, passed down like heirlooms.

My first failure was to be born a child not wanted by his father or mother, as they parted shortly after I was born.

When I was seven and told my mom, 'I'm gonna be a writer,' she said, 'Oh, that's a terrible idea. You'll live in misery and die teaching other people's children badly.' My parents wanted the safer path for me, and I think they failed miserably achieving that.

I dabbled a little bit in acting in high school, and then I forgot about it completely. And then at about 25 I went to a class. I don't think anybody in my family thought it was an intelligent choice. I don't think anybody thought I'd succeed, which is understandable. I think they were just happy that I was doing something.