To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when nobody else will.

The line frames championship not primarily as a matter of talent or public acclaim but as an inner stance maintained under isolation and doubt. It emphasizes self-trust as a prerequisite for elite performance: before victories, endorsements, or crowds arrive, the athlete must supply conviction from within. The phrase “when nobody else will” points to the common early stage of a career—losses, skepticism from trainers or promoters, financial insecurity—when external validation is absent. In that sense, the quote functions as a general maxim about resilience: belief is portrayed as a form of discipline that sustains effort long enough for skill and opportunity to converge.