Boxing has created some of the greatest characters in any sport and you could argue that is because of the character it takes to step in the boxing ring itself, there is nothing quite like it!
If you are looking for some inspiration of motivation here are 50 boxing quotes to get you back up on your feet again and motivated.
I’ve taken these quotes from past greats and some current fighters. Enjoy!
Muhammad Ali
1.”Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” – on the word impossible
2. “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.“
3. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – on sacrifices of training.
4. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.”
‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard
5. “I made an instant connection with boxing right away. Boxing became such a part of me. I ate boxing, I slept boxing, I lived boxing. Boxing was a way of expressing myself because I was not that outspoken.” – on the sport of boxing
6. “Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities.”
7. “To be the best, you need to spend hours and hours running, hitting the speed bag, lifting weights and focusing on weights.” – on training for boxing
Marvin Hagler
8. “It’s tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5am when you’ve been sleeping in silk pajamas” – on training after you have success
9. “A champion shows who he is by what he does when he’s tested. When a person gets up and says ‘I can still do it’, he’s a champion.” – on being a champion
10. “There are a lot of things and in order to be at the top and maintain your focus you have to have something that motivates you. For me, it was what I perceived as a lack of respect from the boxing world as well as the media, which made me want to work so hard and be great.” – on what motivated him
Bernard Hopkins
11. “You’re hated by some, loved by others, but that’s what’s great about being different. If everybody loved you, that means you’re not doing the right thing most of the time.” – on being different
12. “The only way you can get experience is from the clock. Time works with some people and against some people. Fortunately, the clock has worked in my favour.” – on time and gain experience
Roy Jones Jr
13. “Every fighter should really do that if they can, because if you build a fan base at home first, then once they receive you at home, it’ll be easier to be received elsewhere.” – on building fan base
14. “Boxing’s an art, it’s a science, and you don’t go out to knock people out. If they happen to get knocked out, they happen to run into one of these bricks by mistake [looks at his fists], that’s their fault. – on the sport of boxing
Anthony Joshua
15. “Just set yourself a goal and try and stick to it. Because you’ll always end up better than where you started.” – on setting goals
16. “As long as you have discipline, you can be a success. Discipline is what makes you do everything you need to do.” – on discipline
17. “You have to speak from a place where all is possible. When you speak from a place where there’s limits, you’ve already set yourself up to fail.” – on belief
Tyson Fury
18. “I’ve been as low as anybody can go and as high as anyone can go, and you can always overcome these problems that one may have” – on overcoming his mental health
19. “Mental health has got to be the biggest battle I’ve ever fought with, more than any opponent.”
20. “To come back from the brink of no return to get back to the top of the world, that is gonna be a statement for mental health itself.” – on his comeback to boxing
Floyd Mayweather Jr
21.”If you fight angry, you make a lot of mistakes, and when you fight a sharp witty fighter like me, you can’t make mistakes.” – on how to fight
22. “If you work good, you’re gonna get paid very well for it. Simple as that, that’s how life goes. If you work hard, you’re gonna get good results. If you talk baloney, you’re gonna be at the bottom with a bunch of people that’s at the bottom” – on working hard
23. “I’m not in this sport to see how hard I can get hit or to see how many big punches I can take. I am in this game to fight as long as I can. I am trying to dish a lot of punishment.” – on avoiding punishment in boxing
Mike Tyson
24. “Unfortunately, sometimes you can’t have fun accomplishing your goals. Sometimes people don’t have the determination, the will, the steadfastness, the tenacity, they give in under the slightest struggle.” – on scarfices to reach your goals
25. “Everybody thinks this is a tough man’s sport. This is not a tough man’s sport. This is a thinking man’s sport. A tough man is gonna get hurt real bad in this sport.”
26. “When you have something in life that you want to accomplish greatly, you have to be willing to give up your happiness…I’ve lost all my sensitivity as far as being embarrassed, being shy, you just have to lose that.”
‘Sugar’ Ray Robinson
27. “To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.“
28. “Rhythm is everything in boxing. Every move you make starts with your heart, and that’s in rhythm or you’re in trouble. Your rhythm should set the pace of the fight. If it does, then you penetrate your opponent’s rhythm. You make him fight your fight, and that’s what boxing is all about.” – on the importance of rhythm in boxing
Joe Louis
29. “If you cheat on your road work in the dark of the morning, you will be found out in the big fight under the bright lights” – on not doing your roadwork
30. “A champion doesn’t become a champion in the ring, he’s merely recognized in the ring. His “becoming” happens during his daily routine.“
Manny Pacquiao
31. “I remember as a little boy I ate one meal a day and sometimes slept in the street. I will never forget that and it inspires me to fight hard, stay strong and remember all the people of my country trying to achieve better for themselves.” – on what motivates him
32. “Anyone will succeed in whatever field of endeavor in life by acquiring the same virtues and character that boxing world champions do – dedication, perseverance, courage, extreme self-discipline and prayers.“ – what it takes to succeed
33. “There are three things you need to remember in boxing, work hard, work harder, and work hardest.”
Cus D’Amato
34. “The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same thing, fear, but it’s what you do with it that matters.” – on how to use fear
35. “To see a man beaten not by a better opponent but by himself is a tragedy.”
36. “Boxing is a sport of self-control. You must understand fear so you can manipulate it. Fear is like fire. You can make it work for you; it can warm you in the winter, cook your food when you’re hungry, give you light when you’re in the dark and produce energy. Let it go out of control and it can hurt you, even kill you…fear is a friend of exceptional people.” on fear and the sport of boxing
Lennox Lewis
37. “In boxing you create a strategy to beat each new opponent, it’s just like chess.” – on how to treat each opponent
38. “Boxing isn’t just about brute strength; it’s about skill and outwitting your opponent“
Jack Dempsey
39. “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.”
40. “When I was a young fellow I was knocked down plenty. I wanted to stay down, but I couldn’t. I had to collect the two dollars for winning or go hungry. I had to get up. I was one of those hungry fighters. You could have hit me on the chin with a sledgehammer for five dollars.”
Roberto Duran
41. “Getting hit motivates me. It makes me punish the guy more. A fighter takes a punch, hits back with three punches.”
Deontay Wilder
42. “Having patience is one of the hardest things about being human. We want to do it now, and we don’t want to wait. Sometimes we miss out on our blessing when we rush things and do it on our own time.” – on having patience
43. “There comes a time when you have to put forth the action and actually see whether you’re really just talking to promote yourself, just to sell yourself, or to build your confidence or build confidence around you or are you the real deal.” – on showing your the real deal
Andre Ward
44. “I want my legacy to be that I was a man of character, I was a God fearing man and somebody who bettered the sport in terms of the way I represented the sport. But also that fact that I was a fierce competitor and fought the best in the world and was able to come out on top, so if those things could be said about me, then I look at it as a job well done.” – on his legacy
45.”The part that sickens me about boxing is guys fight their whole careers and they have nothing to show for it. That’s not going to be my testimony. When it’s time to get out of the game, I want to be able to walk away. I’m not going to jeopardize my health. I will have no problems walking away.” – on leaving the sport in the right way
46. “I like to talk come fight night, that’s how I do it, but I’m not a pushover.“
47. “Every fighter is my toughest challenge to date. After I get done with one fight, the next challenge is the toughest.” – on how he treated every fight
George Foreman
48. “The world is full of people who like to play it safe, people who have tremendous potential, but they never use it. Somewhere deep inside them, they know they could so more in life, be more, and have more.” – on taking risks and finding your potential
49. “Boxing is like Jazz, the better it is, the less people apprecite it.” – on how casual fans look at boxing
50. “Many people fail not so much for their mistakes; they fail because they afraid to try.” – on not trying
I hope you enjoyed these 50 boxing quotes, let us know in the comment below which is your favorite?
Why not check out more of my motivation articles here.
Thanks for reading!
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