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Evander Holyfield statue at Madame Toussard’s in Washington photo by cliff1066 –

10 Things You Need to Know About Legendary Boxer Evander Holyfield

One of the pivot boxing figures in the 80s and 90s, Holyfield is a name that is well-known among boxing fans both in the new school and the old schools. Holyfield dominated his opponents in the ring by displaying some of the fiercest techniques ever seen in the ring. With a knockout power of a bear and the agility of a mountain goat, his opponents did not stand a chance in the ring with this 6ft 2inch humongous heavyweight.

He is a blueprint for budding boxers and his accomplishments are jaw-dropping and hard to be repeated for the foreseeable future. Here are 10 things you need to know about the legendary boxer Evander Holyfield.

1. Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in Alabama

Evander Holyfield was born in the mill town of Atmore, Alabama, on October 19, 1962. Holyfield, the youngest of nine children, was significantly younger than his other siblings and was born to a different father. Holyfield’s family then relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in the blighted Bowen Homes Housing Projects.

Here are the 10 most famous people from Alabama.

2. He began boxing at the age of seven

Anwar Oshana and Evander Holyfield photo by Aaoshana –

Evander Holyfield began boxing when he was seven years old. He tended to get into street fights. Evander Holyfield was defeated twice by a fellow youngster in his early boxing career, causing him to quit for good. He dared to face him a third time and ultimately won. When Holyfield was eight years old, he joined the Boys & Girls Club. Carter Morgan first exposed him to professional boxing. He easily won the boys club boxing competition. By the age of 13, he was qualified to compete in the inaugural Junior Olympics.

Be sure to check out why you should let your kids practice MMA by clicking here. 

3. Holyfield won the National Golden Gloves tournament in 1984

Golden gloves photo by Mariodpl –

By the age of 15, Holyfield had won the Southeastern Regional Championship and the Best Boxer Award. As an amateur boxer, he had a record of 160 wins and only 14 defeats, with 76 knockouts, by 1984. In 1984, Evander Holyfield won the National Golden Gloves tournament. He competed in the light heavyweight class of boxing for the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. In his division, he won a bronze medal.

4. Holyfield began his professional career as a light heavyweight

He made his professional boxing debut and began his career in the light heavyweight category with a televised six-round victory over Lionel Byarm at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 1984. On January 20, 1985, he defeated Eric Winbush in a six-round decision in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He knocked out Fred Brown in the first round in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 13, and Mark Rivera in two rounds in Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 20.

5. Holyfield won all the bouts he fought against Mike Tyson

Tyson defeated by Holyfield photo by El Gráfico –

In 1996, Holyfield knocked out former world champion Bobby Czyz in six rounds. Evander’s next fight was against Mike Tyson.

Tyson had recaptured the WBC and WBA Heavyweight Championships and, after losing the WBC title for neglecting to fight Lennox Lewis, he was bound to defend the WBA title against Holyfield on November 9, the same year.

Pundits predicted Tyson would win the fight against Holyfield, but Holyfield made history by defeating Tyson through TKO in the 11th round. For the third time, Holyfield won the WBA Heavyweight title. Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in their rematch, making it one of the most acrimonious fights in boxing history.

Click here to read about the 10 facts about the Tyson vs Holyfield rivalry. 

6. Evander is the only boxer to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes

Evander Holyfield vs. Lou Savarese, El Paso, Texas, June 30, 2007, photograph by John Kloepper –

He was the first boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight divisions during the three-belt period, dominating at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and heavyweight in the early 1990s. After unifying the weight class with a third-round knockout victory over Ricky Parkey in 1987, Holyfield was the reigning WBA and IBF cruiserweight champion of the world by the time he turned 25.

Holyfield’s opportunity to become undisputed presented itself in 1988 when he would stop Carlos de Leon after only eight rounds in Las Vegas. Boxing in the 1980s was known for being the three-belt period in which the acknowledged world belts were the WBC, IBF and WBA.

7. He retired from professional boxing in 2014

After knocking out Brian Nielsen in just ten rounds, Holyfield sought to challenge for the world heavyweight championship. However, it was revealed Holyfield’s decision to retire in 2012 after more than a year of attempting to get this match. However, Holyfield appeared to reverse his mind later that month, declaring that he still saw himself as a contender.

His career remained in disarray for a while since he was unable to win a championship shot. But Holyfield finally declared his retirement from boxing in June 2014, more than three years after he had last fought.

8. His son Evan Holyfield is also a professional boxer

Eleven of Holyfield’s children were born to six different mothers. One of his kids, Evan, followed in his father’s career path and turned pro. On November 2, 2019, Evan Holyfield made his professional debut on the undercard of Canelo vs. Sergey Kovalev at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. He defeated Nick Wenstead via technical knockout (TKO) at 16 seconds of the first round.

9. He has participated in lucrative endorsements throughout his career

Evander Holyfield at the Herning Kongrescenter, Herning, Denmark on April 2, 2011. photo by beatebodenhagen –

Holyfield had become well-known by 1992 and had been on television to endorse several goods, including Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing, a video game for the Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear, was also produced by him.

Holyfield was allowed to carry the Olympic torch in 1996 when the Olympics were held in Atlanta. Holyfield used TV infomercials to launch the Real Deal Grill cooking equipment on September 22, 2007.

10. He has gone through a lot of financial difficulties

Even after acquiring more than $500 million throughout his boxing career, the boxing legend has been through a lot of financial difficulties. From selling his high-end cars, selling his multi-million mansions and his legal battles with his baby mama over failed child support, his humongous net worth has been in depreciation ever since.

Be sure to check out the top 10 richest boxers of all time.