Boxing has produced a few geniuses and then there is the rest of the crowd. Evander Holyfield would prefer to be remembered as the grittiest boxer.
He wants to have one last shot at the world heavyweight title and then give up. But that is unlikely to happen, writes Manish Kumar. For, like many boxers, the four-time champion too is struggling to leave behind the limelight and idol-worship that he was used to through the sport
Boxing has produced a few geniuses and then there is the rest of the crowd - consisting of boxers who aim to win the world championship titles. Evander ‘Real Deal’ Holyfield, four-time world heavyweight champion, would prefer to be remembered as the grittiest boxer.
At 43, like George Foreman, who was 45 when he won the world championship, Holyfield wants to enter the ring again and prove to everyone that he is still the best. Then, he will readily hang up his gloves for the final time.
It’s unlikely to happen, feel almost all the critics, who think that like so many past champions, the announcement from Holyfield, who is a born-showman, is a common problem with top boxers. Holyfield too is struggling to leave behind the limelight and idol-worship that he was used to through the sport.
Boxing is one of the most glamorous sports in the world and the Atlanta-based Holyfield is estimated to have earned 80 millions pound through his boxing career. However, Holyfield wants to believe that he is only attempting it to please his millions of fans.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of people that want me to quit,” said Holyfield after announcing his comeback plan earlier this week. He added, “If people really knew me, they know I’m supposed to be on top, and that’s how I am supposed to retire.”
The comeback bout is supposed to take place in July though so far the name of his opponent hasn’t been announced. It was more than two years since the Atlanta-based champion fought his last bout against Larry Donald which brought a setback for him. Then his medical licence to box was taken away by the New York State Athletic Commission after his defeat to Donald. Holyfield will need his boxing licence first to qualify for being in the ring again.
The youngest of nine children (four brothers and four sisters) and father of ten children, Holyfield always found the limelight irresistible. After winning the Olympic bronze in 1984 he turned professional and by 1992, Holyfield was already a household name, announcing multiple products on television including Coke. He also had a video game released for the Sega Genesis: Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing.
His boxing triumphs led to offers from Hollywood and popular TV shows. Holyfield’s first television show appearance was the Christmas special of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990, playing himself. In 2005, Holyfield made an appearance on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, and another on the original BBC Strictly Come Dancing “Champion of Champions” showdown.
Holyfield also had minor roles in three movies — Summer of Sam, Necessary Roughness, and he produced and acted in the third, Blood Salvage. In 1998, Holyfield was forced to announce that he believed to have as many as nine out-of-wedlock children, and his marriage was affected by that announcement.
At the height of his boxing career, Holyfield used religion to gain publicity. He started professing his Christianity from the ring, reminding the public before and after his fights that he was a reborn Christian, and wearing t-shirts with the word Pray in public. Now past his prime, Holyfield is using his children’s words to make a comeback. “My family believes daddy’s a rock, they believe daddy can do it - and they’ve been taught by me that if you don’t quit you’ll get it eventually.” Once a showman, always a showman.
Holy facts
- Holyfield is the youngest of 9 children, married thrice, has 10 children
- Won the world heavyweight title 4 times, is trying a comeback at the age of 43
- Won the Olympic bronze in 1984 and then turned pro
- On October 25, 1990, Holyfield fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning the world heavyweight title for the first time.
- In 1996, he was given the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch for the Atlanta Games
- He has a record of 38 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws, with 25 wins by knockout
In 1997, was involved in the famous ‘Bite Fight’ against Mike Tyson.
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