It's unbelievable when I think back to when I was a kid that one day I would have achieved so much through boxing, and to think my teachers laughed at me when I said I was going to be a boxer.
— Joe Calzaghe
There were times people tried to get me to change trainers, but I stuck with my dad.
There comes a time in any proud sportsman's career when you have to make the difficult decision to stop.
I definitely was a big puncher early on in my career, and I used to load up with my left hand. Then, towards the end of my career, I had hand problems and needed injections in my hands for the pain.
To win the four major title belts, to be the unbeaten champion and 10 years a champion - it's amazing. I'm so proud.
I am not an aggressive person. I am a disciplined, chilled, and relaxed guy.
When you've been at the top of the sport for so many years, it's your life, and it becomes very difficult just to quit boxing and find something else to be happy.
The world title in a second weight division and a win in America is just the icing on the cake of my career.
At 14, 15, everyone at school stopped talking to me, and I went completely into my shell. Basically, I'd be hiding. I had no friends. I hated it.
After a weigh-in, you drink and put on the pounds. But it's just fluid, not muscle, so you get in the ring and feel flat.
I'm not going to lie: you do get down sometimes, but I wouldn't say I was ever depressed; that's too hard a word. But you do become bored, because all you've done in your life is fight and box.
From 13 years old, I was treated like a professional.
If I'm greedy and keep chasing the money, it's inevitable I will be beaten one day.
My dad is a great judge of fights. He's the only person I know who said that Holyfield would beat Tyson the first time.
I'm a regular guy, got the same friends. I live in the same area of south Wales. That's who I am. I'm just a normal guy. I just fight.
I've beaten all contenders for 11 years. I'm not a robot; I'm fed up. My body's tired of it. I'm 36.
I'm proud to be one of only a few fighters in history to retire undefeated.
You ask all the super-middleweights: Who is the best fighter in Britain? If I came back, it would be me.
I don't really watch much boxing.
There'll never be another Muhammad Ali. He was a superstar. And although he has gone, his legacy will live on for what he has done for sport and humanity.
Beating Chris Eubank in 1997 was a great win and the toughest fight of my life, and beating Jeff Lacy was great, too. But Mikkel Kessler topped it, winning all the belts and fighting in front of all those fans in my home town.
When I go into the ring, I don't hate opponents, and I certainly don't want to hurt them.
Amateur boxing is one of the safest sports around.
I don't seek the limelight. I'm perfectly happy with a quiet life and spending time with my family, but I deserve recognition.
It would be good to fight Roy Jones. I've always admired him, and I think this would be a great fight for the fans.
It used to hurt me when people said I was hiding in Wales.
I'm pretty excited: to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is a massive achievement... and to be inducted with Oscar de la Hoya and Felix Trinidad, two great fighters, is a massive honour for me and my family.
Every fighter, when they box, wants to leave a mark in their sport, or a legacy, and I managed to do that beyond my wildest dreams.
Enzo, my dad, supports Juventus, so that's my team and, obviously, Italy, who I've been fortunate enough to see win two World Cups.
The perfect fighter has never been born and never will be.
My natural weight is 13 st. 7 lb. That's what I walk around at.
My career has been very difficult. People respect the fact that I haven't just turned professional like Amir Khan or Audley Harrison, and it's been, 'Here's a million pound' - for spoilt brats to fight a couple of fights.
I believe amateur boxing training should be available in schools. Not for all, but for those who want to.
You can never say never in this game, but I can't see myself boxing again. There's loads of things I want to do.
I want to prove that I'm not just the best super middleweight in the world but the best pound-for-pound.
I find it quite sad to see the likes of Evander Holyfield carrying on past their sell-by date.
There is a world of difference between being a reality TV star and a world champion boxer.
It's in my DNA to fight and entertain.
On a personal level, I probably wouldn't want my boys to box professionally. But I do encourage them to get into boxing training - they both go along. It keeps them fit.
I've fought in Copenhagen before, and it's not the most hostile place in the world.
Roy Jones is a difficult fight.
In America, they slag each other off at the press conference, then get in the ring and don't do anything.
I've never wanted fame. I've only ever wanted recognition.
Being retired is one thing, but staying retired is another. Even when I announced my retirement, I'm sure people thought I was going to come back.
I think we have a normal father-and-son relationship. But like any other relationship, we have our differences. But we always seem to work out our differences. Believe it or not, our personalities are similar. We're both fiery and passionate.
I'm actually thinking about acting lessons. If somebody says to me, 'You can be in the movies,' I'd be pretty happy.
I swore to myself that I was never going to lose again, and that's what drives me still. More than money, more than titles, more than fame, it's the desire not to be defeated.
I've been through the routine so many times that I genuinely don't even think about a big fight very much beforehand.
Boxing's a very lonely sport. That ring is the loneliest place in the world.
Boxing definitely has a part to play in taking away unwanted aggression.
