Evander Holyfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Evander Holyfield |
||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Holyfield in 2011
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Rated at |
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2+1/2 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 77+1/2 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 19, 1962 Atmore, Alabama, U.S. |
|||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 57 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No contests | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is a retired American professional boxer who fought from 1984 to 2011. He is famous for being a champion in two different weight classes. First, he was the undisputed champion in the cruiserweight division. Later, he became the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Holyfield is the only boxer to ever be the world heavyweight champion four times. He held titles from the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). His famous nickname is "The Real Deal." Many people think he is one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Contents
Early Life and Amateur Career
Evander Holyfield was born in Atmore, Alabama, as the youngest of nine children. His family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up. He started boxing when he was only seven years old and quickly showed a lot of talent.
By the time he was a teenager, he was winning major tournaments. In 1983, he won a silver medal at the Pan American Games. The next year, he represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He won a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division.
Professional Boxing Career
Becoming a Champion
Holyfield turned professional at age 21. He started in the light heavyweight class but soon moved up to cruiserweight. In 1986, he won his first world title by defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight belt. It was a tough 15-round fight that many called the best cruiserweight fight of the 1980s.
By 1988, Holyfield had defeated all the other champions in his division. He beat Ricky Parkey for the IBF title and Carlos de León for the WBC title. This made him the first-ever undisputed cruiserweight champion, meaning he held all the major belts at once.
Moving to Heavyweight
After conquering the cruiserweight division, Holyfield moved up to the heavyweight class. His goal was to become the heavyweight champion of the world. He won several fights against strong opponents like Pinklon Thomas and Michael Dokes.
In 1990, Holyfield got his chance to fight for the title. He faced Buster Douglas, who had just shocked the world by defeating Mike Tyson. Holyfield was in great shape and knocked out Douglas in the third round. At 28 years old, Evander Holyfield was the new undisputed heavyweight champion.
Famous Fights and Rivalries
As champion, Holyfield defended his titles against some of boxing's biggest names. He defeated former champions George Foreman and Larry Holmes. These fights proved he was a true and deserving champion.
The Riddick Bowe Trilogy
Holyfield's first professional loss came in 1992 against Riddick Bowe. It was a tough, 12-round fight that Bowe won by decision. But Holyfield didn't give up.
A year later, in 1993, they had a rematch. This fight is famous for a strange event where a man in a parachute tried to land near the ring. After a 20-minute delay, the fight continued. Holyfield fought hard and won back his WBA and IBF titles.
They fought one last time in 1995. Holyfield knocked Bowe down, but Bowe came back to win the fight. This series of three fights is remembered as one of the great rivalries in boxing history.
The Mike Tyson Fights
In 1996, Holyfield faced Mike Tyson in a highly anticipated match. Many people thought Tyson would win, but Holyfield surprised everyone. He defeated Tyson with a technical knockout in the 11th round to win the WBA heavyweight title for a third time. The fight was named "Fight of the Year" and "Upset of the Year."
Their rematch in 1997 became one of the most bizarre events in sports history. During the third round, Tyson bit Holyfield's ear, and the referee took away points from Tyson. When the fight restarted, Tyson bit Holyfield's other ear. The referee had no choice but to disqualify Tyson, giving Holyfield the victory.
A Four-Time Champion
After the Tyson fights, Holyfield continued to defend his titles. He beat Michael Moorer in a rematch to unify the WBA and IBF belts. In 1999, he fought Lennox Lewis to try to become the undisputed champion again. Their first fight was a controversial draw. In the rematch, Lewis won by decision.
Even after this loss, Holyfield's career wasn't over. In 2000, he fought John Ruiz for the vacant WBA title. Holyfield won, becoming the first boxer in history to be a four-time heavyweight world champion. He and Ruiz would fight two more times, with one loss for Holyfield and one draw.
Later Career and Retirement
Holyfield continued to fight into his 40s. He always believed he could become champion one more time. He had several more big fights, including a title match against Russian boxer Nikolai Valuev in 2008.
His last fight was in 2011, a victory against Brian Nielsen in Denmark. In 2014, Holyfield officially announced his retirement from boxing. He is remembered for his incredible heart, toughness, and for never giving up. In 2015, he was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal Life
Holyfield is the younger brother of actor and dancer Bernard Holyfield. He has several children. His son, Evan, is also a professional boxer. Another son, Elijah, played football for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Holyfield has appeared on television shows and in movies. He was on Dancing with the Stars and even had a video game called Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing. In 2017, a statue of him was put up in Atlanta to honor his amazing career.
Images for kids
-
Holyfield vs. Savarese, 2007
-
Holyfield with Olympic weightlifting champion Karyn Marshall at a ceremony honoring him in 2016
See also
In Spanish: Evander Holyfield para niños
- List of cruiserweight boxing champions
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of IBF world champions
- List of undisputed boxing champions
