Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield is a renowned former professional boxer, celebrated for his achievements in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Born in Atmore, Alabama, and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he developed a passion for sports at a young age, initially excelling in football before turning to boxing. Holyfield's boxing career took off when he secured a spot on the U.S. Olympic team in 1984, where he won a bronze medal, despite a controversial disqualification in the finals. He quickly rose to prominence in professional boxing, capturing world titles in both weight classes, and earning the nickname "The Real Deal."
Throughout his career, Holyfield faced many formidable opponents, including Mike Tyson, with whom he had two notorious bouts, including the infamous ear-biting incident in 1997. Despite health challenges, including a heart condition that briefly sidelined him, he made a remarkable comeback, remaining a competitive force in the ring until his retirement in 2014. Beyond boxing, Holyfield has engaged in philanthropic efforts and appeared on television, including a stint on "Dancing with the Stars." His legacy continues to be honored, with a statue erected in his hometown, reflecting his impact on the sport and popular culture.
Evander Holyfield
Boxer
- Born: October 19, 1962
- Birthplace: Atmore, Alabama
Boxer
In a brilliant boxing career, Holyfield won the heavyweight champion of the world title several times.
Areas of achievement: Philanthropy; Sports: boxing; Sports: Olympics
Early Life
Evander Holyfield was born in Atmore, Alabama. His mother, Annie Laura Holyfield, moved her eight children to Atlanta, Georgia, her hometown, when Holyfield was four years old. She somehow found the money to allow him and his brother to join the local boys’ club. There he developed a love for football and won many trophies in that sport. Along with his mother, he credits the boys’ club with having a positive influence on his life. Despite being smaller than most kids his age, Holyfield was successful in football and, because of his consistent work ethic, won many most valuable player awards. Every sport in the boys’ club was open with the exception of one: boxing. Carter Morgan, a counselor at the club, tightly controlled this program; only the most disciplined boys were allowed to participate. Holyfield persevered, and finally he was accepted into the exclusive boxing area. Holyfield was determined to be an Atlanta Falcons football player. He made the team at Fulton High School, but because he did not get to play much, he considered quitting football. However, his mother had instilled in him early that he was never allowed to quit anything that he started. He remained content to watch from the sidelines while continuing his relentless triumphs in the boxing ring.
Life’s Work
By 1983, Holyfield had amassed a record of 160 wins in the ring. After his first loss in a bout sponsored by the US Amateur Boxing Federation, he was noticed and was asked to try out for the Pan-American Games in Venezuela. It was the first time Holyfield had left the United States. It was also his first encounter with the legendary Howard Cosell. During a test interview, the young fighter believed that Cosell intentionally had used sophisticated vocabulary words in order to embarrass Holyfield.
Holyfield won the national Golden Gloves championship, with all knockouts. He also met Mike Tyson, not in the ring but in competition for most outstanding boxer in the Golden Gloves competition. Tyson won the title because of scoring more points in his bouts. Holyfield won all of his matches by knockouts, which limited the number of points he accrued. As a result of the competition and his winnings, Holyfield was selected for the US Olympic team.
The 1984 Olympics proved to be a major disappointment and a life-changing experience in many ways. Holyfield was still an unknown fighter, basically ignored by the press upon his arrival in Los Angeles. He won the semifinals against Sylvanu Okello of Kenya. Once again he encountered Cosell, who requested another interview. They became friends, and Cosell became a staunch supporter of Holyfield for the duration of his career. It was the bout against Kevin Barry for the gold medal that would first test Holyfield’s character. Because of a controversial disqualification of Holyfield by the Yugoslavian judge, the US fighter won the bronze medal instead of the gold medal he deserved.
Holyfield signed a contract with the famous trainer and boxing manager Lou Duva, and he made his professional debut immediately after the Olympics. A fight event, “Night of Gold,” at Madison Square Garden featured all the fighters who had won Olympic gold in 1984, with the exception of Holyfield. He won in a decision in his bout against Lionel Byarm. He went on to capture the title for the cruiser (junior heavyweight) division, when he fought and beat Tyrone Booze, making him one of the first Olympic fighters to compete for a world title.
It was this fight that sparked the nickname, coined by his teammates from the 1984 Olympics, “The Real Deal” Holyfield. In 1989, in his first heavyweight competition, he defeated James Tillis. Holyfield became a four-time world champion when he went on to fight and beat Buster Douglas, who had defeated Tyson. Holyfield then won against former world champions George Foreman and Larry Holmes.
A fight injury to Holyfield’s left shoulder forced him to seek medical attention, and it was determined that he had suffered a heart attack in the boxing ring. Ordinarily this would mean the end of a career and retirement. It was a troubling time for Holyfield, going into semiretirement because of his health. To bolster his spiritual life, he began to support the ministries of Benny Hinn. Later, Holyfield was examined, and it was determined that his heart condition no longer existed.
Holyfield became the highest-paid fighter in three of his bouts in Las Vegas. He was a welcome surprise to the attendees of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, when he carried the Olympic torch into the stadium of the opening ceremonies. He received a license to begin his management company, Real Deal Events, and he competed on the television series Dancing with the Stars.
Significance
In a bout sponsored by the World Boxing Association held in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, on July 12, 1986, Holyfield won the cruiserweight division world title against Muhammad Qawi. Holyfield also won the world title against Henry Tillman by knockout in 1987. Holyfield then won against Ossie Ocasio by knockout in the cruiserweight division 1987 and clinched the world title again against Qawi by knockout in 1987.
In the heavyweight division, Holyfield won world titles against Douglas in 1990, with a knockout during the third round. He again won the world heavyweight title against Holmes in 1992. Holyfield returned for another heavyweight world title, against Riddick Bowe, in 1993. Holyfield returned after a November 13, 1992, loss in a twelve-round decision to regain the heavyweight belt on November 11, 1993, in a twelve-round decision. He knocked out Tyson in 1996 to win the world title and in a rematch in 1997. The 1997 bout became infamous, however, because of the manner in which the match ended. Tyson was disqualified after twice biting Holyfield's ears and charging into his corner. Several years later, Tyson would apologize for his behavior on national television and receive Holyfield's forgiveness, but the incident would forever be linked with the veteran fighter. Holyfield’s career began to wind down with wins against Vaughn Bean in 1998 and John Ruiz in 2000.
By 2005, despite being banned from fighting in the state of New York due to allegedly "diminished skills" because of his age, Holyfield continued to fight in the hopes of being the first to obtain a fifth world heavyweight title. Speculation mounted that he had missed his last chance to achieve this goal after losing in a controversial majority decision to Nikolai Valuev in 2008. However, following an eighth-round knockout of Francois Botha in a 2010 match, he claimed the heavyweight title from the World Boxing Federation. Though he still maintained a goal of becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion, he was obligated to officially retire from boxing in 2014. At the time, he was still struggling to pay child support for all of his children, losing much of his earnings, selling his home, and putting several belongings up for auction. In 2015, Holyfield's journey to meeting Tyson in the ring became the subject of an hour-long documentary that premiered on ESPN called Chasing Tyson. As further recognition of his career, a large, bronze statue of him was unveiled near the entrance of Atlanta's State Farm Arena in the summer of 2021.
Bibliography
Capelouto, J. D. "The 'Real Deal': Statue of Evander Holyfield Unveiled Outside State Farm Arena." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 25 June 2021, www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-news/the-real-deal-statue-of-evander-holyfield-unveiled-outside-state-farm-arena/45XZRNYYLRCJNENGI2HI4UTWQY/. Accessed 21 July 2021.
Holyfield, Evander, and Lee Gruenfeld. Becoming Holyfield: A Fighter’s Journey. New York: Atria, 2008. Print.
Holyfield, Evander, and Bernard Holyfield. Holyfield: The Humble Warrior. Nashville: Nelson, 1996. Print.
Kirkpatrick, Rob. Evander Holyfield: Heavyweight Champion. New York: PowerKids and Buenas Letras, 2002. Print.
Thomas, James J., II. The Holyfield Way: What I Learned About Courage, Perseverance, and the Bizarre World of Boxing. Champaign: Sports, 2005. Print.
Willis, George. The Bite Fight: Tyson, Holyfield, and the Night That Changed Boxing Forever. Chicago: Triumph, 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Zeitchik, Steven. "Evander Holyfield Looks to Come to Terms with Mike Tyson in New Documentary." Los Angeles Times. Tribune, 29 Oct. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.