I was diagnosed with dyslexia - I struggled a lot in school and didn't enjoy it. I'm not great when it comes to sitting in a classroom - I'm much more about doing things. Boxing massively helped with that frustration and anger.Collection: Anger
When you turn professional with the amount of medals that I've won, then you have to assume that big things are expected of you and I've always tried my best to live with that.
All these expectations on me exist because of me in the first place.
There came a time in my life where I just wanted to go out there and get myself a job somewhere. Boxing was all I had in my life for so long and there just came a point where the whole thing just became a bit too much for me.
People look at other people's lives and think, 'I want that,' but when you actually look at your own life, I wouldn't change a single thing.
I've never had it easy in boxing, from day one, never. I've never asked for an easy run.
Everybody is on their own path.
It's my dream to be a world champion and I will become a world champion.
I played in the school football team, as a striker, and in year 7 and 8 I was one of the leading goalscorers.
I was that hyperactive when I was growing up, I rarely sat still to watch sport. I was always out there 'doing.'
I left school at 16, with GCSEs, and went boxing full-time.
I would love to go and do something in schools with boxing, where they have their own competition in school with other schools involved, like you'd play other schools at football. I think it would be great, to get boxing inside the schools.
Rigondeaux is one of the guys since I first started boxing that I've looked up to and I was at the same weight as him for a while as an amateur, so to train alongside him was amazing.
It would be a tough fight for either Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton against Rigondeaux. He's too good for his own good though and that's why he's been avoided.
I appreciate all my supporters, I've had massive support.
I'm very proud to be from Hull.
I'm learning all the time.
I've got a good chin, trust me.
I tried to go to college; I just picked a trade, did a plumbing test - and failed. And then I thought, 'I may as well look at things I have a passion for and enjoy.' And I went forward with my boxing.
It's really, really painful for me to actually say the words out loud: 'I got beat.'
I'm always like this after fights - I can't sleep, I'm only getting a couple of hours a night for three or four days then all of a sudden I'm wiped out for a full night where I don't even move.
No, I'm staying at lightweight until I win a world title and once I've won a world title we'll see, maybe I'll move up, maybe I'll stay and defend it.
Not only can I box and be skilful, I guess people know how tough I am now as well.
Losing has changed my whole persona about fighting.
I don't believe losing my unbeaten record has delayed me in my ambitions. I believe it was just a hard lesson learned and that's it.
I have had a close-knit group of friends since I was a kid; they are my friends.
Fighting away from home doesn't bother me.
I always had faith in myself, otherwise I wouldn't be in the sport.
When I do something, I want to be the best at it.
Hooking up with Jorge Rubio after losing to Mendy has changed me. I'm working on my skills all the time.
I treat everyone the same when I speak to them, I am never rude or nasty.
If you treat me nice, I will treat you nice.
If ever you've been hit by a body shot, you know it's a sickener.
Ricky Hatton stands out; he was known for being a good body puncher.
I'm a family man.
For the majority of my amateur boxing career, I was the underdog weirdly enough and that served me well.
I want to fight among the elite and beat fighters in the elite.
There are world champions out there that no one has heard of. I don't want to be one of those guys.
Am I really one of those who has to go to everyone else's back garden to get a fight? I believe I'm bigger than that really.
Talent is nothing without dedication and discipline, and dedication and discipline is a talent in itself.
Every champion was once a challenger.
I feel like I was wandering around like a lost chicken for the first two years of my career.
You have to make a lot of sacrifices to succeed.
Everybody starts off in the same place going into sport; you don't go into any sport being good at it.
I watched Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder 1 in America. I was in Miami at the time. We went out to watch it and it was a great fight. I thought Tyson Fury won the fight. I thought he was very unlucky not to get the decision.
Fortuna is tricky, he's a southpaw like me. But you've got to adapt to whatever is in front of you.
My Grandad boxed.
We are human beings, you need to mentally switch off now and again to refresh your body and mind. But I never just lie on the couch in my downtime, I still keep my body in good shape.
I always had that get-up-and-go to work for myself - I never wanted a nine-to-five job.
I'm a southpaw and a counter-puncher. I tend to box on the back foot and catch my opponents when they come forward.