Evander Holyfield’s Net Worth and Career Earnings
As a retired American professional boxer, Evander Holyfield owns a net worth of $1 million. He competed in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions and secured a Bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics. Holyfield also held the title of Undisputed Champion in both the Heavyweight and Cruiserweight categories.
Regrettably, like many prominent boxers, Evander has faced significant financial challenges, despite amassing hundreds of millions throughout his career. Without accounting for inflation, Holyfield’s career earnings are estimated to be around $230 million. His longtime residence was lost to foreclosure in 2008, compelling him to liquidate much of his property to alleviate various debts. More on these financial difficulties can be found in the section that follows.
Financial Troubles of Evander Holyfield
Similar to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield somehow managed to exhaust a substantial fortune. At the height of his career, his net worth exceeded $100 million. Throughout his time in boxing, Holyfield earned approximately $230 million solely from prize money.
Sadly, by 2008, that wealth had largely evaporated, culminating in the foreclosure of his 109-room mansion in Atlanta. The estate, comprising 54,000 square feet on 234 acres, had an annual maintenance cost exceeding $1 million. After being foreclosed, it went to public auction and sold for $7.5 million. Unfortunately, Evander owed the bank more than twice that amount on the mortgage. The house was later purchased by Rick Ross in 2014 for $5.4 million.
In mid-2012, Evander was alleged by the Georgia Department of Human Services to owe $372,097.40 for child support to his 18-year-old daughter, Emani Holyfield, leading to a request for judicial action to imprison him until he settled the debt.
This incident wasn’t the first regarding unpaid child support; he also faced accusations of neglecting to pay two months totaling $6,000 for his ten-year-old son. Coinciding with this issue, a landscaping company in Utah sought a judicial ruling for payment on an asserted debt of $550,000 for their services.
By January 2013, Evander found himself with several hundred thousand dollars owed in back taxes to the IRS.
Over the years, most of Holyfield’s significant possessions were sold at auction to address various debts, including his Olympic bronze medal, 20 pairs of gloves, championship rings, belts, and 25 fight robes and shorts.
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Background and Early Life
Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama, as the youngest of nine siblings. The family later relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in the crime-affected Bowen Homes Housing Projects. He began boxing at the tender age of seven, clinching victory in the Boys Club Boxing Tournament. Holyfield made his mark in the ring by competing in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions, qualifying for his first junior Olympics by 13. By 15, he had already claimed the Southeastern Regional Championship, triumphing inthe Best Boxer award and the regional tournament. In the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, Holyfield represented the United States. His efforts earned him a silver medal and secured his spot at his first Olympics.
Professional Career
After winning the bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Evander Holyfield, at the age of 21, embarked on his professional career. He earned the nickname “The Real Deal.” In 1985, he advanced to the cruiserweight division, triumphing the following year against Dwight Muhammad Qawi to claim the WBA Cruiserweight title. Subsequently, he defeated both Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon, capturing the Lineal, IBF, and WBC titles, ultimately becoming the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. In 1988, his heavyweight journey began with a victory over Buster Douglas, claiming The Ring, Lineal, WBC, WBA, and IBF titles in 1990. Holyfield faced his first professional defeat in 1992 against Riddick Bowe. However, he regained the title in a rematch a year later, overcoming Bowe for the WBA and IBF titles before losing them to Michael Moorer in an unexpected turn of events in 1994.
Holyfield’s array of victories includes matches against notable fighters such as George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson (twice), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Michael Dokes, and Hasim Rahman. Notably, he made history as the only four-time World Heavyweight Champion, winning WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1990, followed by WBA and IBF titles in 1993, and WBA titles in 1996 and 2000. Although he faced a brief retirement in 1994 due to medical advice, he made a successful return a year later, cleared for competition.
In the infamous 1997 match, Holyfield achieved victory against Mike Tyson, who was disqualified for biting off part of Holyfield’s ear during the bout. In 1999, he faced Lennox Lewis and lost the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. A controversial majority decision loss against Nicolay Valuev, the WBA Heavyweight Champion, occurred on December 20, 2008, in Sweden during Holyfield’s unsuccessful fifth bid for The World Heavyweight Championship at the age of 45. Holyfield officially announced his retirement in 2014, ranking #77 on The Ring’s list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. His record included 44 wins (29 knockouts), 10 losses, and two draws, and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017. Additionally, he ranks #9 in BoxRec’s list of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time. Following retirement, Holyfield took on the role of boxing advisor and mentor to heavyweight contender Zhang Zhilei.
(Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Other Ventures
Holyfield established Real Deal Records, signing the once-popular group Exhale among others. By 1992, he was already a prominent name, endorsing numerous products in commercials for Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. He also starred in a Sega Genesis video game titled “Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing.” Furthermore, he appeared in advertisements for the restaurant chain Zaxby’s alongside multiple celebrities. In 1996, Holyfield had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch as it made its way to Atlanta, his hometown, the host city for that year’s games. In 2007,
A line of cooking products named Real Deal Grill was launched by Holyfield through infomercials.
Over the years, Holyfield has made a significant number of television appearances, starting with a cameo in the 1990 Christmas special of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” He also participated in three films during the ’90s: “Summer of Sam,” “Necessary Roughness,” and “Blood Salvage,” which he produced as well. In 1994, he made a cameo on “Nickelodeon GUTS.” Holyfield competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005, where he and his partner Edyta Sliwinska secured fifth place. In January 2014, he was the first housemate evicted from the UK edition of “Celebrity Big Brother” after making offensive comments about a homosexual housemate. Furthermore, in May 2016, he was featured on the Argentine reality dance show “Bailando.”
Personal Life
From 1985 to 1991, Holyfield was married to Paulette Brown. In October 1996, he wed Dr. Janice Itson, with whom he had one child before they divorced in 2000. Holyfield’s marriage to Candi Calvana Smith lasted from 2003 until 2012, and he has a total of 11 children.
In February 2007, an anonymous link was made between Holyfield and Applied Pharmacy Services, which was being investigated in Alabama for allegedly supplying illegal steroids to athletes; however, he has claimed never to have used performance-enhancing drugs.