Evander Holyfield - the embodiment of a dream

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Due to its traditions and its literally centuries-old history, boxing is not by chance one of the most interesting and watched sports. Although widespread, there are few who manage to leave a mark. Undoubtedly, this leads to arguments about who is the greatest, but in a sport where individual performance is everything, the options are many. One of them is Evander Holyfield.

Holyfield is the only professional boxer to have won the World Heavyweight Title 4 times. Moreover, the only absolute world champion who simultaneously held the belts in the heavyweight and light heavyweight categories.

Evender turned to boxing when he was 8, although he was an avid football fan at the time. Like most boxers, Holyfield started out in amateur boxing. His most prestigious award there was in 1984, when he won a bronze medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. In practice, the American was deprived of a fight for the gold, after he knocked out his opponent in the semi-final after a signal to stop the fight. This leads to a direct disqualification, and the Olympic title is awarded without a fight to Anton Josipovich.

The rules in amateur boxing at the time took away the enjoyment and the chance for real fights, according to Holyfield, which led him to the logical choice of turning professional.

His debut there happened in the same year - 1984. Two years later, after a 15-round clash against Dwight Muhammad Qavi, Holyfield triumphed with the WBA world light heavyweight title. 1987. Defeated Ricky Parkey, taking the IBF world title. A year later, he added another WBC title to his belts, becoming the absolute world champion. With that, his light heavyweight journey comes to an end. Holyfield attacks the heavyweights. There he recorded 36 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw. Unlike most heavyweight boxers, he only wins 30% of his knockout matches. This is also the percentage of fights that ended in his favor after a termination due to clear superiority. All these numbers speak for one thing - Evander Holyfield is not a fighter, but a tactician who just likes paint.

On November 13, 1992, however, came the first loss. In a 12-round match, the judges awarded Riddick Bowe success on points. A year later, Holyfield took revenge, but the rivalry between the two did not end there. On November 4, 1995, Riddick Bowe's shadow once again loomed over the American. Bowe wins in Round VIII by submission. This is Evander's only loss before the final gong. It turns out that the reason is not poor form, but at worst - a medical reason that forces Holyfield to throw down the gloves. The American has a damaged heart valve. He listens to the doctors for only a year, because his moment of stardom is yet to come, and a titanic clash has yet to be played.

Along with the undoubted successes of Evander Holyfield, a horror parallel to him crushes in the ring - Mike Tyson. The big fight is on November 6, 1996. Tyson has just been released from prison. The hysteria surrounding the battle is religious. The black Tyson incarnates as a Muslim messiah, and Holyfield responds, through the principles of Christianity.

Bookmakers don't give Evander vs. Tyson much of a chance. However, Holyfield played one of his most brilliant tactical matches and proved otherwise. In the XI round, the monster Tyson loses. The rematch is coming soon. The dinosaur is enraged and ready to do anything for revenge. However, Evander's dominance renders Tyson helpless, and in the clinch he bites off part of his ear and spits it out, for which he is disqualified and branded. Holyfield is on a pedestal and goes down in history.

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