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Evander Holyfield (Atmore, 19 ottobre 1962) è un pugile statunitense.

È stato 4 volte campione del mondo dei pesi massimi e ha detenuto per un totale di 4 volte altre cinture in periodi di tempo differenti. Si fece conoscere vincendo il bronzo nei massimi leggeri ai Giochi Olimpici del 1984.

Biografia[modifica | modifica wikitesto]

Infanzia[modifica | modifica wikitesto]

Il più giovane di nove figli, Evander Holyfield è nato il 19 ottobre 1962, nella cittadella di Atmore, nell'Alabama.

Dopo essere stata abbandonata dal marito e non avendo così un appoggio su cui contare, sua madre, Annie Laura Holyfield, ha deciso di spostare l'intera famiglia ad Atlanta. Era l'estate del 1964 e all'epoca Evander aveva solamente 2 anni. Da esempio qual è stata, la signora Holyfield ha insegnato ai suoi figli che il lavoro duro era la chiave per raggiungere i propri desideri. Il giovane Evander apprenderà ben presto la lezione, mostrando questa qualità in ogni aspetto della sua vita.

Da bambino, il sogno del giovane era quello di rappresentare la sua città natale in un campo di football americano, come membro degli Atlanta Falcon. Con l'incoraggiamento della madre, e come membro attivo del Warren Memorial Boy's Club del sud-est di Atlanta, Holyfield ha iniziato a praticare la sua disciplina preferita, in una squadra di bambini da 65 libbre. Si è ben presto ritagliato un nome in campo, ma è stata la curiosità di scoprire una certa area del club ad attrarlo e spingerlo verso il suo destino atletico: il pugilato. Era infatti da 8 anni che Holyfield si sentiva attratto da quella zona, a cui non aveva mai acceduto prima.

In all thy ways acknowledge him

Evander Holyfield has bobbed and weaved his way into history, becoming the only 4-time Heavyweight Champion of the World.

...and he shall direct thy paths

The youngest of nine children, Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in the mill town of Atmore, Alabama.

His mother, Annie Laura Holyfield, moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia, several years later. By the example that she set, Mrs. Holyfield taught her children that hard work was key to reaching their goals, thus establishing a quality that Evander Holyfield would exhibit in every aspect of his life.

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.

After daily requests that were always turned down, Holyfield finally wore down Carter Morgan, convincing the coach to let him join the boxing team.

A fire was lit within him when Coach Morgan told him that if he didn't quit, he could become heavyweight champion of the world.

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.

Holyfield juggled the two sports. His consistent performance during football try-outs earned him a spot on Fulton High's team. Unfortunately for the Falcons team of his dreams, Holyfield was more of a bench-warmer than a gridiron-guru. Frustrated, he decided to quit, but his mother had other ideas. "I didn't raise a quitter," she told him. He returned to the bench. Finally, in Fulton High's last game of the season, Holyfield took to the field and impressed his coach and the crowd with his blocking skill and determination. Despite the late season accolades, Holyfield turned his full attention to boxing.

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.

Carriera da pugile[modifica | modifica wikitesto]

Holyfield debuttò come professionista il 15 novembre 1985, a 23 anni, battendo in 6 riprese Lionel Byarm al Madison Square Garden di New York. Nel 1988, dopo aver sconfitto a Las Vegas Carlos de Leon, in 8 riprese, Holyfield annuncia il suo passaggio ai pesi massimi. Il primo incontro gli è favorevole: il 16 luglio, a Lake Tahoe, Holyfield batte James Tillis per KO alla quinta ripresa, e si ripete a fine anno, quando batte Pinklon Thomas, campione del mondo, mettendolo al tappeto alla sesta ripresa. Ma l'apice della sua carriera è la vittoria in 3 riprese contro James Douglas, il primo pugile che era stato capace di sconfiggere Mike Tyson. Successivamente è George Foreman a essere sconfitto da Holyfield, ai punti dopo 12 riprese.

Holyfield's intense rivalry with boxer Riddick Bowe began in the early 1990s when he suffered a big defeat to Bowe in 1992, losing his title. It was his first loss in twenty-nine professional fights. After briefly contemplating retirement, Holyfield was back in the ring and anxious to reclaim his title. He did just that when he got his rematch with Bowe in 1993, winning by decision. Holyfield didn’t hold on to his title for too long. The next year Michael Moorer defeated him by decision.

Health problems sidelined the famous boxer for a time, but he returned to the ring and eventually fought one of the most notorious boxers in history, Mike Tyson. Holyfield beat Tyson in their first encounter in 1996, winning the WBA championship. No one could have imagined what happened in their next fight, however. During the bout, Tyson bit Holyfield twice on the ear—the second time he took a piece out of Holyfield’s ear. Tyson was disqualified, and his odd behavior in the ring became international news. Holyfield, a deeply religious man, forgave his opponent. Several months after this incident, Holyfield took back his IBF title from Michael Moore by knocking him out in the eight round, making it his third separate title victory.

In 1999, Holyfield took on another legendary fighter Lennox Lewis, the holder of the WBC heavyweight title. The first match between these two heavy hitters ended in a draw, but Lewis emerged victorious in a rematch later that same year. Holyfield went on to win his fourth championship in 2000, unseating the WBA champion John Ruiz. This victory was short-lived, however. Ruiz beat Holyfield in a rematch the next year.

Negli anni successivi si batterà con figure non primarie del gotha pugilistico come Chris Byrd, Hasim Rahman, James Toney e Larry Donald, conseguendo alterni risultati.

Holyfield continues to box. Proving that he is still a contender, he beat Jeremy Bates by a knockout in August 2006—his first fight in nearly two years. With his boxing career slowing down, Holyfield has been exploring other business opportunities. He attracted a lot of attention for his footwork, not his punches, appearing as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, the television competition that teams up celebrities with professional dancers in 2005.

Off stage and out the ring, Holyfield devotes some of his time to helping young people. The Holyfield Foundation supports numerous programs for inner-city children. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nell'agosto 2005, il New York Daily News riporta la notizia che Holyfield è stato sospeso dall'attività nello stato di New York, per non aver superato dei test medici. In ogni caso, da agosto 2006 a giugno 2007 il pugile disputa e vince altri 4 incontri, l'ultimo contro l'italoamericano Lou Savarese. Inoltre, il 18 agosto 2007, ha partecipato a WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, evento della World Wrestling Entertainment, dove ha sfidato in un incontro di pugilato Matt Hardy.

Il 13 ottobre 2007, a 44 anni d'età, perde ai punti con verdetto unanime contro Sultan Ibragimov nel suo quinto incontro valevole per la corona dei pesi massimi WBO. In totale, il pugile ha finora disputato 53 incontri, di cui 42 vinti (27 per KO), 9 persi (2 per KO) e 2 pareggiati.

Il 20 dicembre 2008, a 46 anni compiuti, perde ai punti (116-112; 115-114; 114-114) contro il russo Nikolai Valuev, campione WBA in carica, e diventa il più anziano pugile della storia ad essere ancora in attività, sbaragliando i pronostici dei giornalisti che lo davano per ko alla quarta ripresa.

Il 1º ottobre 2009 decide di ritornare sul ring all'età d 47 anni. Dopo un match a novembre, dovrebbe partecipare al mondiale in primavera contro il vincente tra Valuev e Haye^[1].