Holyfield, 8 others to be inducted
Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield is selected to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield was one of nine people selected Tuesday for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Holyfield’s career spans more than three decades.
CANASTOTA, N.Y. — As the youngest of nine children, Evander Holyfield never had a chance when he was a kid.
“I got beat by everybody in my family. They beat me in everything,” Holyfield said. “I learned how to win. It’s in my DNA. I changed that into an inspiration. I was able to whip other people because of this.”
Whip them he did in an impressive boxing career that spanned more than three decades — 160 wins as an amateur, 44 more as a pro — and included undisputed cruiserweight and heavyweight titles, not to mention oh-so-memorable fights against Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe.
Boxing’s only four-time world heavyweight champion, dubbed “The Real Deal,” now has a new moniker — Hall of Famer. Holyfield was selected Tuesday along with eight others for induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
“I’m excited,” Holyfield said. “It shows my work didn’t go unnoticed, things that I accomplished. It’s good to know that everybody else was watching. That’s a great thing.”
Others inducted on June 11 in Canastota, New York: three-division champion Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico; super flyweight champion Johnny Tapia; Australian trainer Johnny Lewis; judge Jerry Roth; journalist-broadcaster Steve Farhood; broadcaster Barry Tompkins; and posthumous honorees Eddie Booker and ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Sr.
Holyfield, 54, was born in Atmore in southernmost Alabama. He credits his mother File, Mark J. Terrill / The Associated Press with steering him in the right direction, most importantly making sure he became immersed in a culture that taught him discipline and respect at a young age after the family moved to a hardscrabble neighborhood in Atlanta.
“She was there and she’s the one that kept me from quitting,” Holyfield said. “At one time I did want to quit, but because of my mom I didn’t. My mom had a tough life. She could have given up but made sure my life was going to be better than hers.
“When I look at it, my mom really was the real deal.”
After winning Olympic bronze in 1984, Holyfield turned pro and in only his 12th fight defeated Dwight Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight title. He became unified champion with knockout wins over IBF champion Rickey Parkey and WBC champion Carlos DeLeon.