These guys from the past really motivate me, much respect to the guys before me and the ones after me.Collection: Respect
The love I was getting from the gym, I wasn't getting at home. That actually glued me to the gym. It made me always work harder and want to come back.Collection: Home
I've always made that push for me to be positive and stay forward with my goals.Collection: Positive
I'm not somebody that's trying to be somebody else. I'm being myself for the most part and people respect that.Collection: Respect
It's not a game. You can't play boxing.
I'm from a city where the tears never end and the pain never stops.
I was supposed to be in 'The Wire' but I was getting in trouble in school and on the streets.
My daughter has changed me. She has made me grow up quicker because I don't just have a kid, I have a baby girl. She has made me more patient. I am actually soft when I get around her. I don't think she changed me as a fighter, but she has changed me as a person. She has helped me mature.
My family's messed up, for real.
I want to keep getting better and better.
My uncle saw me fight in front of my house and one day he wanted to turn something negative into a positive, so he took me to the gym and I've been there ever since.
I've been battle-tested inside the ring and outside the ring.
I think people who go through a lot, they're aggressive.
It's hard to continue to be great and have so much on your back, knowing that even a little mistake can mess you up for good.
Just winning a belt, it doesn't mean anything to me.
I've seen the world and I've seen the bigger picture.
Where I came from, there's not a reason to have a lot of hope. So much trouble, everywhere. But every now and then, someone makes it out and makes it big, and that person has an impact on a lot of other people.
I know I have a big future in front of me, so that's my main focus. So when I'm outside of the ring, I try to carry myself as a professional athlete, not just anybody.
I feel comfortable at both weights. I feel I could fight at 130 or 135.
I know how to box, how to move my feet.
You can't be a PPV star if you don't put on an exciting performance.
I've accomplished a lot at a young age. It's all because of the hard work that I've put in for my entire life.
There were a lot of distractions in Baltimore, and I think they were a problem for me.
I knew Avila was going to be a tough, strong opponent. I cracked him a few times early, but he kept bouncing back every time. When I knocked him down, I could tell he wasn't hurt and was impressed by his toughness. He brought out the best in me.
We're tying to get Baltimore on the right track.
There's nothing Pedraza can bring to the ring that I haven't seen before.
I've fought in London. I've fought in Los Angeles. I've fought in New York.
I just want to bring happiness back to Baltimore.
I've learned to be a different fighter, more responsible.
Being a world champion again is just a step closer toward my goal. I want to be a pay-per-view star.
I want to show people that I can be a household name.
It really doesn't matter who I fight. It's about me putting on a good performance and just looking good overall that night.
There are a lot of belts I want to win, not just one.
I think the whole boxing world was sleeping on me. They were sleeping on me hard.
I always break people's noses with the uppercut, not the hook.
I believe that the fighters know. It's just the people not actually fighting who need to understand more that we're putting our lives on the line.
Having a belt is cool, but I'm trying to do more in the sport.
I believe Baltimore has been backing me for a long time.
Luis Sanchez will definitely bring a challenge, and I know he will try to bring the fight to me.
Thank you to all my fans. Keep supporting me, and I'll fight for you.
I am aware of what my opponent Avila brings and the experience he has. He's tough, throws hard shots and is a good counterpuncher.
If an opportunity comes to knock out my opponent, I'm going to take it.
My coach... tells me not to focus on a knockout, and to follow the team game plan.
It's the people that I see every day in Baltimore that motivate me.
It was always a goal of mine to bring a world title fight back to my city of Baltimore.
I'm a fighter.
I'm the cash cow, I believe, so at 135 or 130, I'm selling out arenas, putting butts in the seats.
I showed I'm an elite fighter.
I'm willing to fight anybody.
I have a lot of boxing skills.