Evander Holyfield, also known as the Real Deal was born October 19, 1962, Atmore, Alabama, U.S.
He is an American boxer and the only professional fighter to win the heavyweight championship four separate times and thereby surpass the record of Muhammad Ali, who won it three times.
As a novice fighter, Holyfield incorporated a record of 160–14 and won the public Golden Gloves title in 1984. Contending as a light heavyweight at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, he was excluded in the elimination round session for taking out his rival, Kevin Barry of New Zealand, while the ref was endeavoring to isolate the warriors. In the midst of contention, the International Olympic Committee therefore granted Holyfield the bronze decoration.
In November 1984 Holyfield turned professional, and in 1986 he won the light heavyweight title by disturbing World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi in a 15-round split decision. In April 1988, with an eighth-round knockout of Carlos DeLeon, Holyfield turned into boxing\’s first undisputed cruiserweight champion. After 90 days he battled his first heavyweight session, taking out James Tillis in five rounds. Standing 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 metres) tall and weighing 218 pounds (98.9 kg), Holyfield often faced much larger opponents as a heavyweight, but his diligent training habits and exceptional durability in the ring helped to make up for his lack of size. On October 25, 1990, he scored a third-round knockout of James (“Buster”) Douglas to win the undisputed heavyweight title of the WBA, the World Boxing Council (WBC), and the International Boxing Federation (IBF). After successful defenses against former champions George Foreman and Larry Holmes, Holyfield lost the title on November 13, 1992, dropping a 12-round decision to Riddick Bowe. In a rematch with Bowe one year later, he recaptured the WBA and IBF titles in another decision