Net Worth Ranker
What Is Evander Holyfield’s Net Worth?
Evander Holyfield, a retired American professional boxer, has an estimated net worth of $1 million. While this figure might seem surprisingly low given his illustrious career, it reflects significant financial difficulties he has faced despite earning substantial sums throughout his boxing years.
Evander Holyfield’s Career Earnings and Financial Issues
During his career, Evander Holyfield earned approximately $230 million in prize money alone. This impressive figure highlights his success in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions. He secured a Bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games and became an Undisputed Champion in both the Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Divisions.
Despite his high earnings, Holyfield’s financial troubles became apparent in 2008 when he lost his 54,000 square foot, 109-room Atlanta mansion to foreclosure. The mansion, situated on 234 acres, was reported to cost over $1 million annually just to maintain. After foreclosure, it was sold at a public auction for $7.5 million, significantly less than the amount Holyfield owed on the mortgage. Rick Ross later purchased the property in 2014 for $5.4 million.
In mid-2012, the Georgia Department of Human Services filed a claim stating that Evander Holyfield owed $372,097.40 in unpaid child support to his 18-year-old daughter, Emani Holyfield. The department requested a judge to order Holyfield’s imprisonment until he could settle the debt. He was also accused of failing to pay $6,000 in child support for his ten-year-old son. Simultaneously, a landscaping service in Utah sought payment of an alleged debt of $550,000 for their services.
By January 2013, Evander Holyfield reportedly owed several hundred thousand dollars in back taxes to the IRS. To cover debts and obligations, 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 sold at auction.
Evander Holyfield’s Early Life and Boxing Career
Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama. He was the youngest of nine children. The family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in the Bowen Homes Housing Projects, an area known for high crime rates. He began boxing at the age of seven and quickly showed promise, winning the Boys Club Boxing Tournament. Holyfield competed in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions.
At 13, Holyfield qualified for his first junior Olympics. By 15, he became the Southeastern Regional Champion, winning the regional tournament and earning the Best Boxer award. He represented the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, winning a silver medal and qualifying for his first Olympics.
After winning a bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Evander Holyfield made his professional debut at 21, earning the nickname “The Real Deal.” In 1985, he moved to the cruiserweight division, winning his first title the following year by defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight belt. He then defeated Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon to secure the Lineal, IBF, and WBC titles, becoming the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion.
In 1988, Holyfield achieved his first heavyweight win by defeating Buster Douglas for The Ring, Lineal, WBC, WBA, and IBF titles in 1990. His first professional loss came in 1992 against Riddick Bowe, but he regained the crown in a rematch a year later, defeating Bowe for the WBA and IBF titles. He later lost these titles to Michael Moorer in 1994.
Evander Holyfield secured notable victories against George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson (twice), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Michael Dokes, and Hasim Rahman. He is the only four-time World Heavyweight Champion, having won the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1990, the WBA and IBF titles in 1993, and the WBA titles in 1996 and 2000. In 1994, medical advice led to a brief retirement, but he returned a year later with a clean bill of health.
During a now-infamous 1997 match against Mike Tyson, Tyson was disqualified for biting off part of Holyfield’s ear. Holyfield was defeated by Lennox Lewis in 1999 for the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. He attempted to win The World Heavyweight Championship for the fifth time on December 20, 2008, but lost a controversial majority decision to WBA Heavyweight Champion Nicolay Valuev in Sweden at the age of 45.
Holyfield retired in 2014, ranking #77 on The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. His career record includes 44 wins (29 knockouts), 10 losses, and two draws. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017 and ranks #9 in BoxRec’s ranking of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time. Post-retirement, Holyfield served as a boxing advisor and mentor to heavyweight hopeful Zhang Zhilei.
Other Ventures and Media Appearances
Beyond boxing, Evander Holyfield founded Real Deal Records, which signed the group Exhale. By 1992, he was a well-known figure, endorsing Coca-Cola and Diet Coke in commercials. He was featured in the Sega Genesis video game “Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing” and appeared in ads for Zaxby’s restaurant chain.
In 1996, Holyfield carried the Olympic torch as it traveled to Atlanta, the host city for that year’s games. In 2007, he launched a line of cooking products, Real Deal Grill, promoted through infomercials.
Holyfield’s television appearances include a cameo on the Christmas special of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in 1990. He appeared in three movies in the ’90s: “Summer of Sam,” “Necessary Roughness,” and “Blood Salvage,” which he also produced. He made a cameo on “Nickelodeon GUTS” in 1994. In 2005, he competed on “Dancing with the Stars,” finishing in fifth place with his partner Edyta Sliwinska.
In January 2014, Holyfield was the first housemate evicted from the UK “Celebrity Big Brother” after making controversial remarks. In May 2016, he appeared on the Argentine reality dance show “Bailando.”
Evander Holyfield’s Personal Life
Evander Holyfield was married to Paulette Brown from 1985 to 1991. He married Dr. Janice Itson in October 1996; they had one child together and divorced in 2000. He was married to Candi Calvana Smith from 2003 to 2012. Holyfield has a total of 11 children.
In February 2007, Holyfield was anonymously linked to Applied Pharmacy Services, under investigation in Alabama for supplying athletes with illegal steroids. He has denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.
