Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield, born on October 19, 1962, is a retired American professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2011. His boxing career spanned more than 26 years, during which he showcased his expertise and became a three-time unified world champion at heavyweight and cruiserweight, with 11 title wins across two weight classes.

Holyfield started his career as a light heavyweight and made his professional debut with a win against Lionel Byarm in six rounds on November 15, 1984, at Madison Square Garden. He won his next two fights against Eric Winbush and Fred Brown in six and one rounds, respectively. Holyfield then knocked out Mark Rivera in two rounds in Corpus Christi, Texas.

He then transitioned to the cruiserweight division and won his first fight against Tyrone Booze via an eight-round decision. He then defeated Rick Myers with a first-round knockout in his hometown of Atlanta, followed by a fifth-round knockout against Jeff Meachem on October 30 in Atlantic City. Holyfield ended 1985 with a win on December 21 against Anthony Davis via a fourth-round knockout.

Holyfield's rise to prominence continued in 1986, when he defeated Chisanda Mutti with a third-round knockout, followed by victories over Jessy Shelby and Terry Mims. He then beat Dwight Muhammad Qawi via a narrow 15 round split decision to become the world cruiserweight champion. Holyfield continued his winning streak in 1986 with a knockout victory over Mike Brothers in three rounds.

In 1987, Holyfield defended his title against Henry Tillman and won by a seventh-round knockout. He then unified his WBA belt with the IBF belt held by Ricky Parkey, knocking Parkey out in three rounds. Holyfield returned to France and held onto his title with an 11-round knockout against former world champion Ossie Ocasio. He also beat Muhammad Qawi in their rematch to become the undisputed cruiserweight world champion.

1988 was a productive year for Holyfield as he became the first universally recognized world cruiserweight champion after defeating Lineal & WBC Champion Carlos De León in Las Vegas. He then moved up to the heavyweight division.

Holyfield's first attempt at the heavyweight title was against James 'Buster' Douglas on October 25, 1990. He knocked out Douglas in the third round, thus becoming the undisputed heavyweight world champion and holding the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight world-champion belts. Holyfield then successfully defended these titles against George Foreman and Larry Holmes.

However, Holyfield suffered his first professional loss in his next title defense against Riddick Bowe via a 12-round unanimous decision on November 13, 1992. This defeat ended his 28-fight win streak. Holyfield regained his title in the rematch one year later with a win via a decision, taking the WBA and IBF heavyweight world-champion belts. Bowe had previously relinquished the WBC title.

During his second reign as champion, Holyfield also defeated Michael Moorer and reclaimed the IBF title. His reign came to an end following an upset loss against Michael Moorer in 1994.

Holyfield's next world title victory was against Mike Tyson in their first match on November 9, 1996, where he won via 11th round TKO. This fight was named by The Ring magazine as the Fight of the Year and Upset of the Year. He then went on to avenge his loss to Michael Moorer and reclaimed the WBA title. In their rematch, Tyson was disqualified in the third round for biting Holyfield's ear.

He also defeated Michael Grant, John Ruiz, and Hasim Rahman. A controversial fight against Lennox Lewis on March 13, 1999, resulted in a split draw. He lost the rematch eight months later, but emerged victorious over John Ruiz for the vacant WBA title, becoming the first boxer to win a version of the heavyweight title four times.

Holyfield later lost a rematch against John Ruiz seven months after their first match and faced him in a draw. The rest of his career was marked with losses against Chris Byrd, Larry Donald, and Sultan Ibragimov.

Over the span of his career, Holyfield fought a total of 57 times, with 44 wins, 10 losses, two draws, and one no-contest. He had a total of 29 knockout wins and two losses via knockout, with 11 title wins across two weight classes. Holyfield was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 2017.

Holyfield's style was that of a brawler, with his forte being infighting. His reach and height made him adept at jabs and hooks. He was most successful when he could trade punches in close with his opponents.

Off the ring, Holyfield has participated in various philanthropic activities. He founded a non-profit organization called 'The Holyfield Foundation,' which aimed to provide education and healthcare opportunities to children from low-income households. He has also served as a motivational speaker, evangelist, and even had his own reality TV show titled 'What Would Holyfield Do,' which aired in 2008.

In conclusion, Evander Holyfield was an accomplished professional boxer with a career spanning over 26 years. He is widely regarded as one of the greats of his generation and earned 11 world titles in two weight classes. Despite losing some of his bouts later in his career, he is

Evander Holyfield Fight Record