TitleMr.
Name:Evander
Surname:Holyfield
Nationality:USA  USA
Date of Birth:19/10/1962
Function:Athlete
 
Biography:
The youngest of nine children, Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in the mill town of Atmore, Alabama As a child, Holyfield had dreams of representing his new hometown on the football field as an Atlanta Falcon. With his mother's encouragement, and a membership at the Warren Memorial Boy's Club in southeast Atlanta, Holyfield started out on the 65-pound team as offensive fullback and middle linebacker on defense. He quickly distinguished himself on the field, but it was an 8-year-old's curiosity about a restricted area at the boy's club that led Holyfield to his athletic destiny: boxing. Under the guidance of Coach Morgan, Holyfield never lost a match between the ages of eight and eleven and, throughout his years as an amateur, he compiled an impressive boxing resume with a 169-11 record. In 1983 he represented the United States in the Pan-American Games in Venezuela, where he won a silver medal. By this point in his career, he had achieved more in boxing than any other person in the state of Georgia, but his childhood dream of becoming heavyweight champion pushed him to achieve even more. He followed the Pan Am experience up in 1984 by winning the National Golden Gloves Championship – with all of the wins by KO – and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. With a strong patriotic spirit, he describes representing the United States at the Los Angeles games as feeling "almost like I went to heaven." He wasn't a black man or a boxer. He wasn't just an athlete, but a representative of his country. He was simply an American. He was an Olympian. Just months after the 1984 Olympics, Holyfield made his professional debut by defeating Lionel Byarm. He won four bouts in the Junior Heavyweight Division before moving up to Cruiserweight, where he continued to dominate. He won his first world title in 1986 against the WBA's world Cruiserweight champion Dwight Qwai. To this day, Holyfield is the only undefeated, undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. On October 25, 1990, Holyfield fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World when he dropped James "Buster" Douglas – then IBF, WBC and WBA Champion – in three rounds. Holyfield was the first cruiserweight champion to win the heavyweight title. His first title defense was against George Foreman, who'd had sixty-five knockouts in his sixty-nine victories – with ten of those KO's occurring in the last two years. The bout against Foreman ended after twelve rounds, with Holyfield retaining his title. In 1992, Holyfield suffered his first defeat in 29 professional fights, losing a unanimous decision to Riddick Bowe. In the summer of 1996, Holyfield's Olympic experience came full circle when he carried the torch at the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, held in Atlanta. In November, he finally met Mike Tyson in the ring, knocking him out in the eleventh round. In a 1997 rematch, still considered one of the most bizarre fights in history, Tyson bit Holyfield on one of his ears and lost a point. After biting Holyfield on the other ear, Tyson was disqualified. In his last bout, on October 4, 2003, Holyfield lost in the ninth, against James Toney. Over the course of his career, Evander Holyfield has achieved great things in the ring, with even more to come. On November 13, 2004, he'll face 1992 Olympian Larry Donald at Madison Square Garden as a first step on the road to a fifth heavyweight championship title. Currently, he has a record of 38 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws, with 25 wins by knockout.
 
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