Evander Holyfield Biography

Evander Holyfield, born October 19, 1962, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2011. He became the undisputed champion in the cruiserweight division in the late 1980s and later held the undisputed heavyweight title in the early 1990s. As an amateur, Holyfield earned a bronze medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He captured the WBC and IBF cruiserweight titles by defeating Ricky Parkey and Carlos de León. Holyfield reclaimed the heavyweight championship in a rematch one year later, defeating Bowe for the WBA and IBF titles after Bowe had vacated the WBC title. In a 1997 rematch, Holyfield defeated Mike Tyson, who was disqualified in round three for biting part of his ear. Holyfield retired in 2014 and is ranked number 77 on The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, having been named the 22nd greatest fighter of the past 80 years in 2002.