“I got nothing in the world against Sugar Ray Robinson, who comes dancing out to meet me in the middle of the ring. Only he's got the championship that used to belong to me. This is Chicago and Chicago is my lucky town and this has got to be my lucky night. This is a big one. If I don't win, it will be the last big one. I have trained until I'm sharp and steamed up ready to burst. I'm like a pistol loaded and cocked.

This one I've got to take because they said I was too old, that Rocky Graziano didn't have it anymore, I was washed up. I got to show them that Rocky Graziano never quits. This guy I got to kill, kill the old way the taught me in the shadows of the East Side streets. Thumb in his eyes, knee in his groin; If I have to fight dirty I'll fight dirty. I got to feel my right crashing on his jaw, see his mouthpiece flying off and the blood and the sweat and his head twisting around his on his neck like it come loose and him going down in a lumpy pile like somebody took sledge hammers to his knees.”