Amir Khan

I don't want to get punched all my life.

We grew up in a nice house in a very middle-class area in Bolton and had a very happy childhood. My mum, Falak, who was also brought over from Pakistan by her parents as a kid, devoted herself to bringing up me and my younger brother and sister, Haroon and Tabinda, and my elder sister Mariyah.

I've been boxing since I was eight, and that's a long time to take punches day after day.

Mayweather does tease people all the time. He likes to get under your skin. That's what he's like.

The one thing about me is that I keep my personal life away from my sporting life. And, when I am training for a fight, that is my focus.

Boxing changed my life twice.

I'm an orthodox fighter, relaxed, fast, and powerful. And I've got good footwork.

I've been to so many dos and presentation dinners and TV shows. I've been among all the top stars - soap stars, people from music - it's been brilliant. But I've kept my feet on the ground.

That's boxing - one punch can win a fight.

Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales are the guys I want to base myself on. They fight with their whole heart and with such work-rate. They just don't stop punching. I want to be like that - never boring.

There were no Asian lads boxing when I started.

Even though you think boxing is a contact sport, it teaches you not to fight on the street, to behave. It gives you discipline and self-control.

I've won the world title - what I've dreamt of since the age of eight.

I'm confident I can take the gold in Beijing.

I'm always strong. I'm tough.

If I get the fight against Mayweather, I have no doubt I can go and take it.

If I get a bit big-headed, I get a good clip round the ear from my family and friends. I'm still the same person.

I respect other religions and other cultures.

I've come back from losses and won world titles.

Floyd Mayweather has fought the biggest names throughout his career and has earned the right to face whoever he chooses.

My ambition from day one in this sport has been to become a world superstar.

I eat a lot of takeaways.

Some watches I bought, I think now, 'Why the hell did I pay that much for a watch?'

I've always known that to have anything, you've got to work hard at it.

I have the skills to box and not get into a war. I've been getting punishment I shouldn't be taking because, sometimes, I'm too brave for my own good. When I've got good footwork and movement, I should use them.

Kell Brook was saying he wants to forget about Amir Khan; he wants to fight Pacquiao and Mayweather. These guys don't know who Kell Brook is.

I'm very experienced in four-round fights because of my amateur career, and I've got a high work rate.

I've always been a UFC fan, and I like McGregor and the way he promotes it.

I have a stake in a company called Super Fight League, which is an MMA company in India, and we have a lot of shows in Dubai, too.

I understand why my mum and my wife can't bear to watch me fight. There's a lot of blood, a lot of pain.

The Prescott fight made me change from a boy to a man: it took me out of my comfort zone because when you lose a fight, you look at the mistakes and everything. That is what happened. I've changed from a boy to a man.

I want a super-fight with a massive name, and I'd love it in a stadium.

Religion was very influential because when it got really bad, and you don't know who to turn to, but I turned to God and was praying and meditating, that really helped.

I love takeaways. I have at least one or two every day. Burgers, chips, curries, doner kebabs, all sorts.

I did have a chance to box for Pakistan, but I've lived here all my life, gone to school; all my coaches and everyone's here, and I feel English.

Mayweather waits for you to make a mistake. He plays a similar game to me.

With me being a sportsman and being an icon who people know, if I can even send a little message across which will maybe help a lot of people, I'm going to do that.

When you drop weight, the closer you come to the fight, the more your muscles tighten up.

It's got difficult for me to walk down the street without people stopping me to ask for an autograph or to talk to me about boxing.

Straight after the Prescott fight, people were saying, 'He's finished. He's not going to come back.' There were only racial remarks made. But, you know what, it made me stronger. It made me come back even stronger. It made me a better fighter.

In America, they treat me like God.

People always want to see that, the young lion going to take the old lion out.

I try to fix things between the Asian community and the English community. There are always going to be racial things there, not getting on with each other and stuff. I have tried to break that barrier.

Boxing is an addiction.

You always want to fight the best.

As an amateur, we used to fight people from the same gym. You'd spar with each other and then fight each other in championships.

Work like your life depends on it, but remember it doesn't.

Organic food is the best for you, and I'm eating the best, a lot of fresh vegetables. I also keep myself hydrated. It's all made a big difference to my performance in the gym.

It's dangerous to talk too much about future fights.

You never know what will happen in the future - I would never say 'no' to getting into MMA.