Who is Evander Holyfield?
Evander Holyfield is an American former professional boxer who is well known for being the only boxer ever to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes.
Early Life
Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama. He grew up in a Housing area that had a bad reputation for crime. He started to box at the young age of seven and by the time he was 15, he would become the Southeastern Regional Champion.
Career
He represented the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics where he would win a bronze medal for the country in the light heavyweight division. By the age of 22, he won his first world championship defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi. Later on, Holyfield made history when he defeated both Ricky Parkeyand Carlos de León to win the WBC and IBF titles.
Holyfield thus became more popularly known as the “Real Deal”. It took till 1992 for him to endure his first professional loss against Riddick Bowe. Two years later many were shocked that Holyfield was made to retire because of medical reasons. However, he defied the odds and came back the next year.
In 1996, he would face Mike Tyson and would defeat him with the match being named by The Ring magazine as the Fight of the Year and Upset of the Year. Later the next year, they would face a rematch which would later be called as the Bite Fight. Tyson was disqualified in this match in round three for biting Holyfield on his ears. Many speculate that Tyson would not want another knockout and as a result found it as a way to cope with it.
He became the first ever boxer to win a version of the heavyweight title four times after defeating John Ruiz. Holyfield had a celebrated career and would retire in the year 2014. His reputation in the world of boxing can be justified by the fact that he was named the 22nd greatest fighter of the past 80 years.
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Evander Holyfield Net Worth
As of 2019, Evander Holyfield net worth is estimated to be only $500,000. This might come as a surprise to many since Holyfield was a top boxer producing some of the finest fights ever. He earned $230 million in prize money alone during his career and even had a time in his life where his net worth was around $200 million. But he blew it all.
Holyfield didn’t manage his finances well and it cost him dearly. In 2008, it was made public that he had to foreclose his 109 room Atlanta mansion which was 54,000 square feet on 234 acres. He owed the bank money on his mortgages as well as the IRS. His money problems got so bad that he even had to auction the prized possessions that became valuable from his career including his Olympic bronze medal, 20 pairs of fight gloves, and championship rings.
Personal Life
Holyfield has been married three times. These marriages were with Candi Calvana Smith, Janice Itson, and Paulette Bowen. In total, he has 11 children with six different women.
