Evander Holyfield’s Net Worth and Career Earnings: What Is It?
A retired American professional boxer, Evander Holyfield has a net worth that currently stands at $1 million. Having competed in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions, Holyfield won a Bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games and also became an Undisputed Champion in both the Heavyweight and Cruiserweight categories.
Unfortunately, he has faced significant financial challenges despite amassing hundreds of millions in earnings throughout his career. Over his time in the sport, Holyfield brought in around $230 million, not accounting for inflation. By 2008, he lost his long-time residence via foreclosure and had to liquidate most of his assets to address various debts. More details concerning these financial struggles can be found in the following section.
Issues with Money for Evander Holyfield
Similar to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield managed to deplete a substantial fortune that he once possessed. At his wealthiest, Holyfield’s net worth exceeded $100 million. Throughout his career, he reportedly earned approximately $230 million solely in prize money.
Regrettably, by 2008, all that wealth seemed to vanish as he lost his 109-room mansion in Atlanta to foreclosure. This enormous house, covering 54,000 square feet and set on 234 acres, had maintenance costs exceeding $1 million annually. After foreclosure, the mansion sold at a public auction for $7.5 million, although Holyfield owed the bank more than double that amount on the mortgage. In 2014, Rick Ross acquired the property for $5.4 million.
In mid-2012, the Georgia Department of Human Services reported that Evander owed $372,097.40 in unpaid child support to his 18-year-old daughter Emani Holyfield, even requesting a judge to hold Holyfield in contempt until the debt was settled.
This was not the first time he faced issues regarding unpaid child support. He was previously accused of not covering two months of child support (totaling $6,000) for his ten-year-old son. At this time, a landscaping service in Utah also sought a court ruling to collect $550,000 for unpaid services.
By January 2013, Evander had accumulated several hundred thousand dollars in back taxes owed to the IRS.
Over the years, most of Holyfield’s valuable items have been auctioned to settle various debts, including his Olympic bronze medal, 20 pairs of fight gloves, championship rings, belts, and 25 match robes and shorts.
Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images
Initial Years
Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama, as the youngest of nine siblings. The family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where he grew up in the high-crime Bowen Homes Housing Projects. Starting boxing at the tender age of seven, he triumphed in the Boys Club Boxing Tournament. Holyfield gained recognition in the boxing world by competing in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions. At the age of 13, young Holyfield qualified for his first junior Olympics, and by age 15, he had already made a name for himself in the Southeastern Regional.
Champion, he clinched the regional tournament and the Best Boxer award. In the 1983 Pan American Games held in Caracas, Venezuela, Holyfield represented the United States and earned a silver medal, securing qualification for his inaugural Olympics.
Professional Career
At the age of 21, after bringing home a bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division from the 1984 Summer Olympics, Evander Holyfield embarked on his professional boxing career. He earned the nickname “The Real Deal.” In 1985, he transitioned to the cruiserweight division, where he claimed his first title the following year by defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight belt. Soon after, he triumphed over Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon, capturing the Lineal, IBF, and WBC titles, ultimately becoming the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. Holyfield secured his first heavyweight victory in 1988, overcoming 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 reclaimed the championship in a rematch the following year, defeating Bowe again for the WBA and IBF titles, only to lose them later in an upset against Michael Moorer in 1994.
Evander’s significant wins against notable opponents include victories over George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson (twice), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Michael Dokes, and Hasim Rahman. Furthermore, Evander Holyfield holds the distinction of being the only four-time World Heavyweight Champion. His title victories include the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1990, the WBA and IBF titles in 1993, and WBA titles in 1996 and 2000. In 1994, he temporarily retired on medical advice but made a triumphant return the following year with a clean bill of health.
In a now-infamous 1997 match against Mike Tyson, Holyfield emerged victorious after Tyson was disqualified for biting off part of Holyfield’s ear during the bout. However, in 1999, he was defeated in the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles by Lennox Lewis. On December 20, 2008, Holyfield made an unsuccessful attempt to win The World Heavyweight Championship for the fifth time, losing a controversial majority decision to WBA Heavyweight Champion Nicolay Valuev in Sweden at the age of 45. Holyfield announced his retirement in 2014 and was subsequently ranked #77 on The Ring’s list of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. His professional 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 list of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers of all time. After retiring, Holyfield took on the role of boxing advisor and mentor to heavyweight hopeful Zhang Zhilei.
(Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Other Ventures
Holyfield established Real Deal Records, which signed the once-popular group Exhale, among others. By 1992, he had become a household name, endorsing numerous products in commercials for Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. He appeared in a video game for Sega Genesis called “Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing.” Additionally, he is among several celebrities who have done advertising for the restaurant chain Zaxby’s. In 1996, Holyfield had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch as it made its way to his home city.
Atlanta, the city that hosted that year’s games, is Holyfield’s hometown. In 2007, he launched a line of cooking products named Real Deal Grill through infomercials.
Over the years, Holyfield has appeared on television numerous times, with his first appearance being a cameo in the Christmas special of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in 1990. He was also featured in three movies during the ’90s: “Summer of Sam,” “Necessary Roughness,” and “Blood Salvage,” the latter of which he produced. In 1994, he made a cameo on “Nickelodeon GUTS.” Subsequently, in 2005, Holyfield participated in “Dancing with the Stars,” finishing in fifth place with his partner Edyta Sliwinska. In January 2014, he was the first housemate evicted from the UK “Celebrity Big Brother,” following some derogatory comments about a homosexual roommate. Additionally, in May 2016, Holyfield appeared on the Argentine reality dance show “Bailando.”
Personal Life
From 1985 to 1991, Holyfield was married to Paulette Brown. He wed Dr. Janice Itson in October 1996; they had one child together before divorcing in 2000. His marriage to Candi Calvana Smith lasted from 2003 to 2012. Altogether, Holyfield has fathered 11 children.
In February 2007, he was linked anonymously to Applied Pharmacy Services, which was under investigation in Alabama for allegedly supplying athletes with illegal steroids. However, Holyfield has consistently denied any use of performance-enhancing drugs.