I remember as a little boy I ate one meal a day and sometimes slept in the street. I will never forget that and it inspires me to fight hard, stay strong and remember all the people of my country, trying to achieve better for themselves.

The most important thing ... is the name of the Lord. The name of the Lord will be glorified. I want to let the people know that there is a God who can raise people from nothing into something. And that's me. I came from nothing into something.

I still think about the time when I was fighting for my first real big fight against [Marco Antonio] Barrera back in 2002. I know he can come in thinking that he has nothing to lose, and that's why I have to be aware of that.Always be prepared.

My heart wants to read the Bible, wants to obey God. When you have Jesus in your life, when you have God in your life, like the thing in this world is not important to your heart. The more important is God in your heart. That's how God changed my life.

My family moved to the Philippines when I was 14. While living there, I learned that my mom grew up very poor. Seeing that kind of abject poverty firsthand during my travels deeply shaped my life. Seeing those living conditions motivated me to want to tell inspiring stories of struggle and triumph.

I'm just appreciative of everything that has happened in my life. I'm overwhelmed, sometimes, by this. When I see where I grew up and the places I've been, it puts a smile on my face because of all the people there I can help. I give them food; I give them money; I try to provide them with a good lifestyle, and do the best I can because that's where I came from. Those are my people.

A fighter's dream is to win a world title and gain financial stability. But what is happening to me now is the most humbling experience of my life. It is a great honor for me to be the face of my people and to let everyone know we are a small but mighty country. I have great pride for all of the Filipinos living throughout the world and it is these people that I fight for each and every time I step into the ring.

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