Holyfield, Evander

Evander Holyfield

1962-

American boxer

Evander Holyfield is a three-time world heavyweight champion who consistently beat heavier opponents through determination and faith in himself. But for many, he will always be the man who got his ear bitten off by Mike Tyson . That event actually was a perfect illustration of the differences between Holyfield's calm, professional style and that of some other boxers: thuggish, menacing, angry, and violent beyond reason. In contrast Holyfield, a devout Christian, has always attributed his success in the ring to his faith in God, and while he has not always led an entirely exemplary personal life, he has steadfastly maintained an image of decency and self-control in the ring. He has also displayed considerable courage in the face of opponents who were often bigger and seemingly tougher than he.

"You Finish It Out"

Evander Holyfield was born in Atmore, Alabama, on October 19, 1962, the youngest in a family of eight headed by his mother Annie. When Evander was 5, Annie moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia, where Evander grew up. Nicknamed "Chubby" as a child, Evander was remembered as a rather quiet and unaggressive boy, who tended to avoid fights. But at the age of 8 he started taking boxing lessons at the nearby Warren Memorial Boys Club from Carter Morgan, the Center's boxing coach. According to Holyfield's brother, Bernard, "What initially lured Evander into the ring was the attention he received from Carter Morgan. In a way, that crusty, freckle-faced coach was the father figure Chubby had always wanted." Before long he was participating in pee wee boxing tournaments in Atlanta, where he was undefeated for two years.

But while he enjoyed boxing, Holyfield's first love was football. He did quite well as a linebacker for the Warren Boys Club team, and dreamed of making the football team in high school. He did make the team as a sophomore at Fulton High School, but the results were frustrating for Holyfield. At five-foot-four inches and 115 pounds, Holyfield was just too small, and game after game he found himself warming the bench. It got so bad that he decided to quit before the end of the season, and told his mother of his decision. She ended the conversation with a simple declaration: "You finish it out."

Indeed, to this day, Holyfield attributes much of his later success to his mother's determination to foster this kind of character in her children. She instilled in him a strong work ethic, a refusal to quit in the face of adversity, and a deep Christian faith that has often carried him through difficult times. Even now, when he signs autographs, he often includes a citation for a Biblical verse. He also gives generously to churches in Atlanta and elsewhere.

The Rise of a Boxer

With football proving a disappointment, despite his best efforts, Holyfield returned to boxing, which had the advantage of different weight divisions. He began training seriously with Coach Morgan, who pushed the youth to test his limits, and transcend them. At times, the coach seemed to be driving Holyfield too hard, but Morgan expressed such faith in his potential that Holyfield struggled to be worthy of that faith. Then came a major setback. When Holyfield was 16, Morgan died following a long illness. Again he contemplated quitting, feeling that without Morgan pushing him there was no reason to go on. "Then," recalled his brother Bernard, in Holyfield: The Humble Warrior, co-written with Evander, "with a jolt of clarity, Evander realized that their last few training sessions together must have been harder on the ailing coach than on himself. With the clear judgement of hindsight, Evander recognized that the old man's relentless goading had not been based on loss of patience but rather on loss of time." Suddenly it seemed that quitting would be an insult to Morgan's memory. Holyfield returned to the gym to train with Morgan's son, Ted.

Holyfield's next big inspiration occurred when the Olympic Trials came to Atlanta in 1980. Watching the competition closely, he began to see himself as a gold medal contender. It was a question of training and experience, and he knew how and where to get both. After graduating from high school, he worked two jobs, as a lifeguard and as a plane fueler. But mostly he trained, getting up at four in the morning to jog before work and training at the gym after work. He almost never missed a workout, and rested only on Sundays.

Chronology

1962	Born October 19 in Atmore, Alabama.
1967	Family moves to Atlanta, Georgia
1970	Begins boxing lessons at Warren Memorial Boys Club, trains with Carter Morgan
1978	Death of Carter Morgan, trainer and mentor
1980	Begins amateur boxing
1984	Birth of Evander's first son, Evander Jr., with fiancée Paulette Bowen
1984	Participates on Olympic Boxing Team, gets to finals
1984	Begins professional boxing, as a cruiserweight
1985	Marries Paulette Bowen, May 17
1988	Becomes undisputed World Cruiserweight Champion
1989	Begins boxing as heavyweight, undertakes "Project Omega" to bulk up
1990	Becomes undisputed World Heavyweight Champion
1990	Paulette files for divorce
1992	Loses heavyweight title to Riddick Bowe, October
1993	Regains WBA and IBF heavyweight title from Bowe, November 6
1994	Loses heavyweight title, to Michael Moorer
1996	Mother, Annie, dies after car accident
1996	Marries Dr. Janice Itson, October 3
1996	Defeats Mike Tyson, November 9
1997	In third round of rematch, Mike Tyson bites off part of Holyfield's ear
1997	November, retakes IBF heavyweight title, from Michael Moorer
1998	Settles paternity suit filed by Tamie Dewan Evans, who claims Holyfield is the father of her daughter; court records sealed
1999	March, controversial "draw" in fight with Lennox Lewis lets him keep title
1999	April, Janice files for divorce
1999	November, loses title to Lennox Lewis in rematch
2000	Divorce from Janice finalized, July 10
2000	Wins WBA title from John Ruiz

A Plethora of Titles

One of the more confusing aspects of boxing is the presence of three major organizations, each of which has a champion in 16 different weight classes (including the junior weight classes). These organizations are the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), and the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and at any one time there may be a different champion in each organization. At other times, one man may hold the title in two of these, or the title might be vacant. To be undisputed champion in a weight class means that a fighter holds the title in all three organizations.

He also fought in the Golden Gloves amateur competitions. Between 1980 and 1984 he racked up an impressive record of 160 wins against 14 losses, with 75 knockout wins. He also won the national Golden Gloves amateur title in 1982 and the National Sports Festival boxing title in 1983. And in 1984, he qualified for the Olympic boxing team. Unfortunately, the 1984 Olympics proved somewhat disappointing. After knocking out three opponents, he was disqualified in the championship match after allegedly hitting an opponent a second after the referee had ordered the fighters to separate. This call remains highly controversial, and to this day, Holyfield says, people still ask him, "What

happened at the Olympics?" Holyfield did get a bronze medal, but after the controversial decision, it seemed more like a badge of shame.

Project Omega

After the Olympics, Holyfield decided to turn pro, as a cruiserweight (maximum 190 pounds). Shortly after turning pro, Holyfield married Paulette Bowen, who had already borne their first child, Evander Jr., and was pregnant with their second. On July 20, 1986, he became the first in his Olympic class to win a championship, after defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi after a grueling fifteen rounds. This gave him the cruiserweight titles for the World Boxing Federation and the International Boxing Federation, but it would be another two years before he became undisputed champ by defeating Carlos DeLeon, the World Boxing Council's title holder. The win was sweet, but Holyfield soon realized that he'd have to enter the heavyweight division if he wanted to break into the big money and earn the fame of a "real" champ.

With the support of his trainers, a father-son team named Lou and Dan Duva, he announced that he would be fighting as a heavyweight, starting in 1989. Sportswriters were almost unanimous in declaring their disapproval. Holyfield, who usually weighed less than 215 pounds, would be going up against fighters weighing over 230 pounds. Holyfield was determined to overcome the doubters, and he underwent a new training regime dubbed "Project Omega." For over a year, he ran, swam, lifted weights, and did aerobic exercises under a staff of trainers that included an orthopedic surgeon, an Olympic triathlete, and even a ballet instructor. With their help, he improved his strength, endurance, speed, and agility. The all-around training helped him reach the finals in television's Superstars, in which he competed against athletes from a multitude of different sports.

But the real test came in the ring, where Holyfield passed with flying colors. He beat his first six opponents as a heavyweight, opponents who were heavier and, they thought, stronger than he was. He began moving steadily up the ranks and, after he defeated Michael Dukes in March of 1989, he began to be seen as a potential challenger to heavyweight champ "Iron Mike" Tyson. In the midst of negotiations to have the two meet, the incredible happened. In a major upset, Tyson lost his title to James "Buster" Douglas. So Douglas agreed to fight Holyfield.

World Heavyweight Champion

On October 25, 1990, champion and challenger met. Douglas had almost 40 pounds on Holyfield, but it was 40 pounds of flab. And Holyfield was in top shape. Not that he was without problems. A car dealership he had been involved with failed a little before the fight, embarrassing him, and closer to home, his wife Paulette filed for divorce just weeks before the big match. Holyfield's devoutness didn't always translate into strict fidelity to his marriage vows, and when women began throwing themselves at the rising boxing star, he sometimes gave in. Despite all this, Holyfield was primed and ready the night of the fight. In the third round, he felled Douglas with a right-hand punch, and Douglas made little effort to get back up. Holyfield became the undisputed world heavyweight champion. As Douglas Lyons summed it up in Sports Illustrated, "It took Evander Holyfield just seven minutes to win boxing's biggest crown." Many critics declared that Douglas had simply lacked heart. Holyfield was more generous in his autobiography: "Who can really judge the heart, or the lack thereof, of another man except God? It appeared to me that Douglas lacked a sense of consciousness."

In Holyfield, the world clearly had a different kind of champion. "A drop of golden sun to Mike Tyson's dark side of the moon, Holyfield is a fervently religious, gospel-singing man who seems to take no visceral pleasure in dismantling his opponents and never stoops to dissing them beforehand," wrote William Plummer in People Weekly, summing up the champ's appeal. But he still had to prove himself. The cry for a Tyson-Holyfield match went up almost immediately, but Holyfield settled on an easier fight with a 42-year-old George Foreman . Actually, Foreman had won 24 straight fights to get there, and this match proved considerably harder than expected. After twelve grueling rounds, Holyfield won a unanimous decision, but without the expected knockout.

That summer, negotiations began for the expected match with Tyson, but Tyson's rape charge, and subsequent conviction, put an end to them. Instead, he fought Bert Cooper in November 1991, before a hometown audience in Atlanta. Perhaps feeling cocky in his home-town, Holyfield got a little sloppy and Cooper knocked him down in the third round, the first such blow he'd suffered in his professional career. He came back to knock out Cooper in the seventh round, but observers noted the fall more than the victory. The following year, he went up against another aging former champ, Larry Holmes, and again he won by a decision after twelve rounds instead of the expected knockout. Critics grumbled that the champ was looking less and less impressive.

On November 13, 1992, Holyfield found himself in a much harder match, against Riddick Bowe, a younger, heavier man who was as hungry for the title as he himself had been. The fight had been promoted as "Friday the 13th: Anything Can Happen." In fact, it was another grueling 12 rounder, but this time the decision went against Holyfield. Ironically, Holyfield earned back some respect in this losing match by proving he could go the distance against a more powerful opponent. Even Bowe told Holyfield, "You were always a class act."

The Hard Road Back

After the fight, Holyfield announced that he was retiring from boxing, but by January 1993 he'd changed his mind. In Holyfield: The Humble Warrior, his brother Bernard attributes this to a growing anger that the bout with Bowe had been much closer than the judges seemed to think and an anger at Bowe for "talking noise" about Evander's supposed deficiencies. Others thought it might be simple restlessness. Under a new trainer, Emanuel Steward, Holyfield threw himself into another grueling regimen, at the same time developing a more subtle kind of boxing than his previous style. On June 26, 1993, Holyfield was back in the ring, dispatching Alex Stewart in a unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Unimpressed, Rock Newman, Bowe's manager, told Sports Illustrated, "Holyfield won and eliminated himself. He's got no chance for a title fight now."

But despite Newman's comments, Holyfield had earned his rematch with Bowe, which took place on November 6, 1993. Holyfield weighed in at 217 pounds, Bowe at 250. Clearly this would not be an easy fight, and a stunt by a publicity seeker didn't make it easier. In the middle of the match, someone parachuted into the ring, causing 20 minutes of confusion before the fight resumed. Perhaps because his pregnant wife had fainted during the interruption, Bowe seemed more distracted in the second half of the fight, and Holyfield won on a 2-1 decision. Holyfield had performed a rare act in boxing, taking his title back from the man who'd taken it from him. Only Floyd Patterson and Muhammad Ali could say they had done the same.

But he did not hold the title for long. On May 6, 1994, he lost another 12-round decision, this time to Michael Moorer. Again, Holyfield announced his retirement, this time attributing it to a heart condition and his doctors' advice. He did leave the door open for a return in case his heart improved, and subsequent tests at Emory Clinic in Atlanta and the Mayo Clinic revealed that his symptoms had probably been due to dehydration and that his heart was fine. Holyfield himself attributed his "miraculous cure" to faith healer Benny Hinn.

Awards and Accomplishments

1982	Golden Gloves national title
1984	Bronze medal, Olympics, boxing
1986	WBA Cruiserweight champion (Defeats Dwight Qawi)
1987	IBF Cruiserweight champion (Defeats Rickey Parkey)
1988	Undisputed World Cruiserweight Champion (Defeats Carlos DeLeon)
1990	Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion (Defeats Buster Douglas)
1993	Retakes IBF/WBA Heavyweight titles (Defeats Riddick Bowe) (One of three heavyweight champions to regain title from the man who beat him)
2000	Retakes WBA Heavyweight title (Defeats John Ruiz)

In May 1995, he was back in a professional boxing match, when he beat Ray Mercer in a unanimous decision after a brutal fight. In November 1995, the last Bowe-Holyfield match took place in Las Vegas. This time, the younger ex-champ proved too much for the older one. In the 8th round Bowe sent Holyfield to the mat with a right hand and two chopping rights. Their long rivalry was over.

Going Up Against Iron Mike

But for Holyfield a new rivalry was beginning, one that would lead to one of the most bizarre incidents in boxing history. In November 1996, Evander Holyfield went up against Mike Tyson, fresh out of prison, for the World Boxing Association championship. The fight was highly controversial, and many felt that ex-con Tyson should be banned from boxing altogether. Others felt that Holyfield was risking serious injury going up against the man they still called Iron Mike. But Holyfield was confident, announcing calmly, "I will beat Mike Tyson. There is no way I cannot, if I trust in God." His faith was justified, and throughout their match Holyfield withstood the punishment of Mike Tyson's punch. And he gave as good as he got. He managed to knock Tyson senseless in the second round, and again in the sixth round. In the eleventh round, Tyson collapsed against the ropes. Holyfield had again entered exclusive company. Alone with Muhammad Ali, he had become a three-time heavyweight champion.

But the surprise of that upset was nothing compared to the pandemonium of the Tyson-Holyfield rematch in June 1997. Once again, Holyfield showed a determination to take the fight to Tyson, enraging the already frustrated ex-champ. In the third round, Tyson spit out his mouthpiece and bit down on Holyfield's right ear, drawing blood. Incredibly, the referee deducted two points and let the fight continue. Before the round was up, Tyson had latched onto Holyfield's left ear, this time biting off a piece. "There is no way to reconcile what was happening with human behavior, or even boxing," wrote Sports Illustrated reporter Richard Hoffer. This time, the referee finally called off the match and disqualified Tyson. Holyfield was actually quite calm in the hospital while getting his ear sewn up, telling reporters stoically: "It was told to me by the prophets that the fight was going to be short, but that there'd be some distractions."

Still Boxing

Evander Holyfield continues to box, and has even said he'd be willing to box Tyson again, "if time permits." In fact, Holyfield has been fairly busy. In November 1997, he stopped Michael Moorer in the eighth round, taking the IBF heavyweight championship and avenging his '94 title loss. In September 1998, he defeated Vaughn Bean in a lackluster 12-round decision. Then in March of 1999 he fought World Boxing Council champ Lennox Lewis in an attempt to consolidate his titles. The fight ended in a controversial draw that many observers thought should have gone to Lewis. Even Muhammad Ali weighed in with a protest against the decision. In an unusual show of unity, all three world boxing organizations ordered a rematch within six months. Eight months later, on November 13, 1999, Holyfield lost his title in a unanimous decision for Lewis.

On August 12, 2000, Holyfield took the World Boxing Association title from John Ruiz, becoming the first heavyweight champion to win the title four times. Seven months later he lost it back to Ruiz. Holyfield calmly accepted the unanimous decision, saying, "I was four-time champion and now I'm going to have to become a five time champion." On December 15, 2001, in another controversial decision, judges declared a draw in his rematch with John Ruiz, although Holyfield had appeared to dominate the fight. Ruiz retained his title. A year later, he lost a unanimous decision to Chris Byrd as they were vying for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.

Holyfield continues to box, claiming that he made a promise to himself to regain the title of undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Every year the goal looks more elusive, but Holyfield has come back before, and surprised the critics. Outside the ring, his personal life has seen its share of upheavals. In 1999, his second wife, Janice, filed for divorce, an event that turned ugly when Evander asked for a paternity test for their child and Janice's lawyers deposed Evander's minister on suspicion that he had been given millions of dollars improperly. Evander Holyfield admits to fathering a number of children out of wedlock, but claims that he is financially supporting them.

Regardless, the man who could forgive Mike Tyson for taking a bite out of him remains a symbol of grace in the ring, a boxer who has proved you don't have to be a killer to be a winner. "I don't believe you have to be mean to be successful," he once declared. "In boxing, two athletes compete against one another. When it's over, you hug." Throughout his long career, Holyfield has tried to live up to that image.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY HOLYFIELD:

(With Bernard Holyfield) Holyfield: The Humble Warrior, Atlanta: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Holyfield, Evander and Bernard Holyfield. Holyfield: The Humble Warrior. Atlanta: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1996.

Suster, Gerald. Champions of the Ring. London: Robson Books, 1994.

Periodicals

"Boxing: Holy eyes high fives." Europe Intelligence Wire (October 20, 2002).

"Boxing: The king, the rock, and the white buffalo." Africa News Service (May 24, 2001).

"Boxing: Veterans in search of more ring glory." Africa News Service (March 1, 2001).

Daly, Dan. "Holyfield's ticket has looked punched before." The Washington Times (August 15, 2000): 1.

"Evander Holyfield loses WBA title, but says he won't quit boxing." Jet (March 19, 2001): 51.

"Foolish heart." Sports Illustrated (June 17, 1996): 31.

Hoffer, Richard. "Now it gets serious: after beating Seamus McDonough, Evander Holyfield may finally get his shot." Sports Illustrated (June 11, 1990): 34.

Hoffer, Richard. "Heart and soul." Sports Illustrated (May 29, 1995): 36.

Hoffer, Richard. "Feeding frenzy." Sports Illustrated (July 7, 1997): 32.

Hoffer, Richard. "This one didn't faint." Sports Illustrated (December 30, 1996): 90.

Hoffer, Richard. "Grisly requiem." Sports Illustrated (December 29, 1997): 88.

Hoffer, Richard. "Grand larceny." Sports Illustrated (March 22, 1999): 60.

"Holyfield forgives Tyson for biting his ears." Jet (January 26, 1998): 48.

"Holyfield hanging on for wrong reasons." The Washington Times (December 14, 2002): C01.

Loverro, Thom. "Indebted Holyfield still keeps the faith." The Washington Times (November 7, 1997): 1.

Loverro, Thom. "Keeping the faith: Holyfield refuses to believe his time as a heavyweight champion is up." The Washington Times (November 12, 1999): 1.

Loverro, Thom. "Is boxing on the ropes?" Insight on the News (January 24, 2000): 32.

Lyons, Douglas. "Evander Holyfield: Coping with sudden success." Ebony (January 1991): 48.

"Muhammad Ali calls Holyfield-Lewis fight decision 'a fix.'" Jet (April 12, 1999): 48.

Pearlman, Jeff. "Ragged night in Georgia." Sports Illustrated (September 28, 1998): 81.

Plummer, William. "Tough guys do dance." People Weekly (November 16, 1992): 69.

Putnam, Pat. "One angry man." Sports Illustrated (November 13, 1989): 38.

Putnam, Pat. "No joke: Evander Holyfield discovered that George Foreman was to be taken seriously." Sports Illustrated (April 29, 1991): 22.

Putnam, Pat. "Sluggards." Sports Illustrated (July 5, 1993): 18.

"To ear is human." The Washington Times (October 21, 1998): 16.

"Tyson and Holyfield should be banned." The Washington Times (July 6, 1997): 3.

Wulf, Steve. "The bible thumper." Time (November 25, 1996): 119.

Sketch by Robert Winters