Why am I coming back? It’s been well documented what’s happened to me since the last time I’ve been in the ring. I’ve been looking after myself a bit better and getting fitter and that’s how it started.”

People say nice things about me but they don’t know what’s been going on in between my ears. I didn’t want my career to end that way. (Pacquiao loss) It put me into retirement, which I never wanted to do. The manner of that defeat put me into some things which have been well documented, my life turned to mush.”

I got back into promoting which I loved, but it didn’t quite fill the void.” 

I think it’s a very easy decision. And I think you all know deep down. If you think about it a little bit closer, I think you know why I’m coming back. I’m in a fantastic place. I’ve not felt this hunger and this desire, because of the reasons for coming back.” 

When I fought Kostya Tszyu at the Manchester Arena, all them many moons ago, which it seems was my best fight, Kostya needed a Harley Davidson and two baseball bats to beat me that night. Nothing would have stopped me that night. People said to me at the time,’You’ve climbed Mount Everest. How are you going to psyche yourself up from here on in?’ Well I became a two-weight world champion, had fights in Vegas, and at the City of Manchester Stadium, and the Castilo fight. I climbed that mountain several times.” 

I think even towards the latter end of my career, I lost that little bit of a hunger. When you’re financially secure, and you’ve achieved all your goals, and everything like that, we’re all only human. I think I lost that little bit of drive. And believe you me, it’s come back, because I’m fighting for a different reason. I’m fighting to redeem myself. I’m fighting to put a bit of goodness back in the sport. 

What’s happened recently, we’re having a great chapter of British sport at the minute, with the Olympics, and the Paralympics, and the greatest football team in the world (Manchester City, his team) happened to win the Premiership last year. And all these things together, I’ve got the juices flowing again to get back at this sport. Not just to win world titles. Of course I want to win world titles, but it’s bigger than that.” 

I wanna do Manchester proud again. I wanna bring the world title back.” 

I think the one line I can sum it up is, I lived to box, I box to live now. That’s what I wanna do. And I want everyone in this room, whether it be press, sports fans, boxing fans, whether it be friends, family, and my kids, I want them to look at me and be proud again.”

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