Legends of Boxing: Evander Holyfield
Chiselled warrior moved up from cruiserweight to battle the beasts
Name: Evander Holyfield
Nickname: The Real Deal
Date of First Fight: 15th November 1984
Date of Retirement: 7th May 2011
Titles: Undisputed world champion at cruiserweight and heavyweight
Biography:
Evander Holyfield was born on 19th October 1962 in Atmore, Alabama. After moving from Alabama at a young age, Holyfield escaped the crime-filled streets of Atlanta, Georgia, to box as an amateur. Winning silver at the 1983 Pan American Games in Venezuela, Evander was selected to represent the United States at the 1984 Olympics, where he was controversially disqualified in the semi-final.
Settling for a bronze medal, he turned professional, defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi for a world title at cruiserweight after only 12 fights. Holyfield later knocked out Qawi in a rematch and unified the two remaining belts by beating Ricky Parkey and Carlos DeLeon, before opting to move up for a campaign in boxing’s money division.
Often described as being too small for heavyweight, Holyfield made it his mission to fight on even terms with some of boxing's biggest men. After moving up, he feasted on some contenders and unbeaten prospect Alex Stewart before knocking out James ‘Buster’ Douglas for the world heavyweight titles. Douglas had previously shocked the world by knocking out Mike Tyson in Japan.
Holyfield defended against ageing legends George Foreman and Larry Holmes before losing to Riddick Bowe in 1992. Holyfield and Bowe would fight three times in total, with Evander winning the second bout and getting stopped in their third meeting in 1995.
Holyfield fought Mike Tyson twice. He stopped Tyson in their first fight in 1996 and won by disqualification a year later when Tyson bit off his ear. Evander also had two fights apiece with Michael Moorer and Lennox Lewis.
He lost the first fight to Moorer on a majority decision in 1994 and stopped him in eight rounds in their 1997 rematch. The first fight with Lewis in early 1999 ended in a controversial draw. Later that year, Holyfield lost a close decision to Lennox.
Toward the end of his career, Holyfield was still active at world level, boxing the likes of Chris Byrd, John Ruiz and Nikolai Valuev. Aside from Bowe, James Toney was the only other person to knock him out across Holyfield’s 27 years as a professional boxer.
Celebrated as a four-time champion, Holyfield is the only fighter during the three-belt era to reign as an undisputed holder in two weight classes. Holding titles across decades, Holyfield is ranked by many publications as the greatest cruiserweight of all time.
Throughout his career, Holyfield battled against the odds in the ring as well as medical issues outside of the ropes. In 1994, he was forced to retire due to heart problems. He later returned and continued boxing for 15 more years.
In 2017, Holyfield’s adopted city of Atlanta built a statue of the champion to recognise his sporting contribution. Holyfield also carried the Olympic torch back in 1996 when Atlanta hosted the Games.
Following in the footsteps of George Foreman, Holyfield also released a Real Deal Grill as part of his multiple business interests. Despite making hundreds of millions of dollars across his career, Evander’s lifestyle choices have led to money problems.
Image Credits: Physical Culture Study, Sweet Science YouTube.
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