TONYA HARDING POST-WORKOUT QUOTES

20.02 - Figure skating star-turned-boxer Tonya Harding makes her pro debut when she faces Samantha Browning on Saturday's fight card at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tenn.

TONYA HARDING

"This is not like fighting Paula Jones, which I just did for fun and for the experience. This fight is for real, and I am taking it very seriously.

"I am in absolutely the best shape of my life and ready to go. I am not nervous at all. Physically and mentally, I have never felt better and am very excited about Saturday night.

"I have put a lot of effort into boxing. This is not just a one-fight thing. I am making it my second career. I am not working eight-nine hours a day for nothing. I am 32 and just getting started, but I have the basics down. I know I still have a lot to learn. I feel I am continuing to improve everyday. I think I can take a punch okay because I have got hit pretty hard in sparring. I feel I can fight for three or four years.

"There are some similarities between boxing and skating. Both require power and grace. Physically, boxing is obviously much harder. I weighed between 105-108 pounds when I skated. I will weigh around 120 for my first fight. I just ate a bunch of carbohydrates, which was great, to help gain some weight. I did not lift weights at all.

"I still put on the skates once in a while, but I do not look back. I had a great career. I hope to have a great career in boxing, too. I am not bitter at the way some people may look at me. Sure, I am trying to turn my image around and be a lady. But you can be a lady, and an athlete, too.

"One thing I like about boxing is that I will not have to deal with the same kind of politics that I had to in skating. In boxing, it is not about your appearance, or how your costume looks, what color it is, or how much it costs. In boxing, it does not matter if you are wearing a ribbon. It is about what you do in the ring, and I really like that part of it.''

"I think my fans are very interested in how I do in boxing. This first fight, however, is for me. The rest will be for the fans.''