Evander Holyfield (born Oct. 19, 1962) is a retired American professional boxer who is commonly known for his accomplishments within the octagon. Debuting professionally in 1984 and retiring in 2014, Holyfield’s 26 years in top-flight is accorded with four world heavyweight championships and has since been tagged by his fans as ‘The Real Deal’ due to his dominance in boxing in the 90s. His intellectual and powerful style of fighting was one which largely contributed to his victories. This has earned him 44 wins from 57 bouts, of which 29 were won by knockouts while losing just 10. Evander Holyfield biography facts, childhood, career and personal life feature a complete review of the boxing legend’s life from his early life to date.

Evander Holyfield Biography Quick Facts, Age

• Full Name: Evander Holyfield
• Nicknames: The Real Deal
• Date of Birth: 19 October 1962
• Age: 61 years old
• Place of Birth: Atmore, Alabama
• Nationality: American
• Zodiac Sign: Libra
• Height: 6 ft. 2 in (1.89 m)
• Weight: 86 kg
• Education: Fulton High School, Jonesboro, Atlanta
• Parents
  • Mother: Annie Laura Holyfield
  • Father: Isom Coley
• Wife: Caldi Cavana Smith (married 2001-2012)
• Children
  • Sons: Elijah Esaias Holyfield; Evander Holyfield Jr.; Ewin Holyfield; Elijah Jedidiah Holyfield
  • Daughter: Evette A. Holyfield
• Occupation: Boxer
• Division: Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, Light heavyweight
• Career: 1984-2014

Evander Holyfield Early Life & Childhood

Evander Holyfield was born in Atmore, Alabama on the 19th of October, 1962 in a large family as the youngest out of his eight siblings. Evander was born of a different father from the rest of his siblings. At age four, the family moved from Alabama to a home housing project area in Atlanta, Georgia which was notorious for its high crime rate. There he became acquainted with boxing after joining a boxing group for kids at age seven. Holyfield immediately began to show his boxing prowess and won a boxing medal at that young age.

Evander Holyfield attended the Fulton High School of which he graduated from in 1980. Being just 13 years old, he competed in the junior Olympics and became a champion at the Southeastern regional tourney where he also clinched the Best Boxer Award. During this time, Holyfield had shown how much he could achieve by winning 160 from 174 fights of which 76 were knockouts at age 15.

At a height of 6 ft 2 in, Holyfield was just 5 ft 8 at age 18 but grew some inches taller to reach 6ft 0 in at age 21. Eventually, he finally added almost 3 inches more to reach his adult height in his early 20s. During this time, he participated in the 1983 Pan American Games where he clinched the silver medal and won the National Golden Gloves and a bronze medal in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.