Evander Holyfield: The Rise, Fall, And Comeback Of A Boxing Legend

What Is Evander Holyfield's Net Worth and Career Earnings?

Evander Holyfield, the legendary retired American professional boxer, currently has a net worth of $1 million. Known for his incredible skills in the ring, Holyfield competed in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions, earning a Bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. He achieved the rare feat of becoming an Undisputed Champion in both the Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Divisions.

Despite earning an astonishing $230 million during his career, Holyfield, like many other athletes, faced severe financial challenges. By 2008, he lost his longtime home to foreclosure and was forced to sell most of his assets to pay off various debts. In the next section, we'll dive deeper into the financial struggles that plagued this boxing icon.

Evander Holyfield's Money Issues: How a Massive Fortune Was Lost

Evander Holyfield's story is eerily similar to that of other famous boxers, like Mike Tyson, who also squandered a vast fortune. At the peak of his career, Holyfield's net worth soared to over $100 million. Over the years, he earned an estimated $230 million in prize money alone. But by 2008, all that wealth seemed to vanish when his 109-room Atlanta mansion was lost to foreclosure.

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The mansion, a behemoth spanning 54,000 square feet on 234 acres, cost over $1 million annually just to maintain. After being foreclosed, it sold at public auction for $7.5 million. Unfortunately, Evander owed the bank more than twice that amount for the mortgage. In 2014, rapper Rick Ross purchased the property for $5.4 million.

Financial woes didn't stop there. In mid-2012, the Georgia Department of Human Services claimed Holyfield owed $372,097.40 in unpaid child support to his 18-year-old daughter, Emani Holyfield. A judge was even petitioned to imprison Holyfield until he settled the debt.

This wasn't the first time Holyfield faced such issues. He was also accused of failing to pay two months of child support—totaling $6,000—for his ten-year-old son. Around the same period, a Utah landscaping service filed a lawsuit seeking $550,000 in unpaid services.

By January 2013, Evander owed several hundred thousand dollars in back taxes to the IRS. To cover mounting debts, many of his prized possessions, including his Olympic bronze medal, 20 pairs of fight gloves, championship rings, belts, and 25 match robes and shorts, were auctioned off.

Early Life: From Humble Beginnings to Boxing Stardom

Born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama, Evander Holyfield was the youngest of nine siblings. His family later moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in the crime-ridden Bowen Homes Housing Projects. Despite the challenging environment, Holyfield found solace in boxing, starting at the tender age of seven. He quickly excelled, winning the Boys Club Boxing Tournament and making a name for himself in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions.

At just 13 years old, Holyfield qualified for his first junior Olympics, showcasing his remarkable talent. By the age of 15, he had already become the Southeastern Regional Champion, winning the regional tournament and the Best Boxer award. Representing the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, Holyfield secured a silver medal and earned a spot in the Olympics.

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Professional Career: The "Real Deal" in the Ring

Holyfield's professional journey began after winning the bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Nicknamed "The Real Deal," the 21-year-old quickly made a name for himself in the boxing world. In 1985, he moved up to the Cruiserweight division, claiming his first title the following year with a victory over Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight belt. His dominance continued as he defeated Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon, earning the Lineal, IBF, and WBC titles, ultimately becoming the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion.

Transitioning to the Heavyweight division in 1988, Holyfield achieved another milestone by defeating Buster Douglas for The Ring, Lineal, WBC, WBA, and IBF titles in 1990. However, his first professional loss came in 1992 against Riddick Bowe. Undeterred, Holyfield reclaimed the crown in a rematch the following year, winning the WBA and IBF titles. Unfortunately, he lost these titles to Michael Moorer in 1994.

Evander's impressive victories include matches against legendary fighters such as George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson (twice), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Michael Dokes, and Hasim Rahman. Notably, Holyfield remains the only four-time World Heavyweight Champion, securing the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1990, the WBA and IBF titles in 1993, and the WBA titles in 1996 and 2000.

In a memorable 1997 bout against Mike Tyson, Holyfield emerged victorious after Tyson was disqualified for infamously biting off part of Holyfield's ear. However, in 1999, Holyfield lost the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles to Lennox Lewis. His final attempt to win the World Heavyweight Championship for a fifth time came in 2008, where he faced a controversial majority decision loss to WBA Heavyweight Champion Nicolay Valuev in Sweden at the age of 45.

Holyfield officially retired in 2014, ranking #77 on The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. With a career record of 44 wins (29 knockouts), 10 losses, and two draws, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017. Ranked #9 in BoxRec's list of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time, Holyfield has since served as a boxing advisor and mentor to heavyweight hopeful Zhang Zhilei.

Other Ventures: Beyond the Ring

Holyfield's influence extended beyond boxing. In 1992, he founded Real Deal Records, which signed the once-successful group Exhale, among others. Already a household name, he endorsed products for Coca-Cola and Diet Coke, further cementing his celebrity status. Holyfield also starred in a Sega Genesis video game, "Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing." Additionally, he appeared in numerous advertisements for the restaurant chain Zaxby's.

Holyfield carried the Olympic torch in 1996 as it traveled to his hometown of Atlanta, the host city for that year's games. In 2007, he launched a line of cooking products, Real Deal Grill, through infomercials.

On the big screen, Holyfield made several appearances, including a cameo in the 1990 "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" Christmas special. He also acted in three films during the '90s: "Summer of Sam," "Necessary Roughness," and "Blood Salvage," which he also produced. He made a guest appearance on "Nickelodeon GUTS" in 1994 and participated in "Dancing with the Stars" in 2005, finishing in fifth place with partner Edyta Sliwinska. In 2014, Holyfield became the first housemate evicted from the UK's "Celebrity Big Brother" after making controversial remarks about a homosexual roommate. He also appeared on the Argentine reality dance show "Bailando" in 2016.

Personal Life: Relationships and Controversies

Holyfield's personal life has been as eventful as his career. He was married to Paulette Brown from 1985 to 1991. In October 1996, he wed Dr. Janice Itson, with whom he had one child before divorcing in 2000. His third marriage was to Candi Calvana Smith from 2003 to 2012. Holyfield has a total of 11 children.

In February 2007, Holyfield was linked to Applied Pharmacy Services, an Alabama-based company under investigation for supplying athletes with illegal steroids. However, Holyfield has always denied using performance-enhancing drugs.