Evander Holifield Three-time world boxing champion Date of Birth: 19.10.1962 Country: USA

Biography of Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield, an American professional boxer, was born on October 19, 1962, in the state of Alabama. He was the youngest of eight children in his family. Holyfield was a curious child and often took things apart to understand how they worked. His grandmother once joked, "If the devil didn't show up, Evander would replace him."

When Holyfield turned four, his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Despite his gentle nature, at the age of eight, he started boxing at the Warren Boys Club on the southeast side of Atlanta. Carter Morgan, a boxing trainer, took it upon himself to toughen up the naturally soft Holyfield. This is where the career of the great athlete began, as he shed his softness under Morgan's guidance.

At the age of 16, Holyfield became the champion of the Southeastern region and was awarded the prize for the best boxer in the championship. At 19, he represented the United States at the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, where he won a silver medal. The following year, he became the national champion and won a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Holyfield made his professional debut on November 15, 1984, defeating Lionel Byarm. Throughout his career, Holyfield's coaches skillfully utilized two distinctive characteristics of his character: his exceptional sporting skill and his aversion to brute force. Despite not fitting the stereotype of an African-American boxer, Holyfield distinguished himself by not resorting to aggression. His trainer, Carter Morgan, said, "When he was hurt, he became magnificent."

In 1989, Holyfield became the WBC world heavyweight champion by defeating Michael Dokes. On October 25, 1990, after his victory over James Douglas, he became the undisputed world champion. Holyfield held this title until November 13, 1992, when he suffered a defeat against Riddick Bowe. However, in November 1993, he defeated Bowe in a rematch and regained the IBF and WBA titles. In April 1994, he lost these titles in a fight against Michael Moorer.

The pinnacle of Holyfield's career was his fight against Mike Tyson in 1996. Their first fight was supposed to take place five years earlier, but Tyson suffered an injury during training, leading to the postponement. Months later, Tyson faced legal troubles and was unable to leave prison for the fight. However, Holyfield and Tyson, who had known each other for 15 years since their amateur boxing days, were eager to face off. After just one round, their trainer stopped the fight, saying, "In this brawl, one of you will surely kill the other, so I don't want to see you together in the ring anymore."

On November 9, 1996, Holyfield defeated Tyson and reclaimed the WBA champion title. He agreed to a rematch, stating, "He gave me the chance to beat him, so I'm giving him the same chance." Holyfield was confident in his victory, saying, "I assume he will be more aggressive, and that will play into my hands. If that happens, the fight will be easier and end much faster. He has beaten many people, but I have found the key to his style." His confidence was reflected in the nationwide betting, with 74% favoring Holyfield over Tyson.

On June 28, 1997, a disgruntled and broken Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear and was disqualified. In his last fight in November 1999, Holyfield lost to the new undisputed world champion, Lennox Lewis.