Born on February 21st

"In the field of love & connection, love is the alignment of two souls speaking a language that words can never fully translate."

"To love is to see the quiet beauty hidden within another's struggles and stand by them. As a statesperson & leader, this is the foundational truth I have observed."

"The greatest force of creation is the warmth we share in the quiet spaces of our connection."

"In the field of wisdom & life, the path to true wisdom begins when we question the certainties we have carried since childhood."

"Wisdom is the quiet space we cultivate between our thoughts, where clarity finally speaks. As a philosopher & thinker, this is the foundational truth I have observed."

"We seek truth not to change the world around us, but to clarify the lens through which we view it."

"I've always been the same since I was a kid, maybe it was the way I was brought up, but I've never liked arrogant people."

"Joe Gallager's like a petulant child sometimes. In press conferences, for instance, when we're talking, he's rolling his eyes like a schoolgirl, pretending he's not listening. It's disrespectful and I don't like that."

"From Tiger's Bay in Belfast to the MGM in Vegas... it's been some ride so far. And the best is still to come."

"I was always quiet and even timid."

"It's Northern Ireland, it's Ireland, it's Scotland, it's Wales, there's Scousers, Londoners, all behind me."

"I'll respect any man that walks into the ring but people like Eddie Hearn and Joe Gallagher who've never taken a slap in the mouth in their lives shouldn't be disrespectful towards me and other fighters."

"I remember going through checkpoints as a kid. It felt normal but, looking back, of course it created tension. People standing with guns, sometimes your car getting searched and being asked where you are going. It changes the atmosphere."

"There was nothing special about me; there are boxers in Belfast who are more skilled but I had a bit between my teeth that drives me on."

"I was a quiet kid on the streets. The loudmouths would push me around but when I was boxing, I was beating them up and it felt good."

"If you worry about hurting your opponent you are probably in the wrong game, because it can happen. I wouldn't wish ill on anyone. I wanted to knock him out, not hurt him badly."

"I get spotted quite a bit walking about the streets in Belfast and it's okay, I don't mind it, they come up and shake your hand."

"It's good to go and get photographs taken with people who come out and support you. I don't mind that, having a chat and shaking people's hands."

"There's not a better sporting spectacle than an evenly-matched fight."

"In Tiger's Bay I saw trouble I shouldn't have seen. But 95% of the people there are good and they're coming out to support me - just like in New Lodge which is the opposition or whatever you want to call it."

"As a kid I could be in New Lodge in a minute. I'd go down our street, turn right and I was there."

"In boxing we're allowed to come togethwe. Protestants and Catholics, the north and south, everyone. I'm in an Irish vest, even on a mural in Tiger's Bay, because boxing brings the communities together."

"I was seven or eight and a kid who was easily picked on. Not bullied but other kids would've told me what to do in the streets. I was very shy. I used to put my head down."

"A loss in boxing is different to any sport. It can set your career back a few years. So I fear losing more than anything."

"I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to win. I just don't want to lose."

"There are more important things in life than boxing."

"The most important thing in my life is my wife and kids, my family. Boxing is a close second."

"I've got two kids and a missus. I don't want problems after boxing. You need to be careful."

"You're just taking punishment every day, getting hit all the time. That's something we're going to cut back on. I'll train hard but the sparring will be cut in half."

"That retirement plan I had, getting out by 32, may still be the case even though at the minute it's in the back of my mind. It's important to get out at the right time."