Evander Holyfield Net Worth (Money & Salary)

Wondering about the Net Worth and Career Earnings of Evander Holyfield?

An American retired professional boxer, Evander Holyfield, possesses a net worth of $1 million. He competed in the Heavyweight, Cruiserweight, and Light-Heavyweight Divisions, winning a Bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Holyfield also held the title as an Undisputed Champion in both the Heavyweight and Cruiserweight Divisions.

Despite earning around $230 million throughout his career, financial difficulties plagued Holyfield, leading to the loss of his long-time home to foreclosure in 2008. To settle various debts, he had to sell off most of his assets. More details regarding his financial troubles can be found in the following section.

Challenges with Money

Similar to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield struggled to manage a substantial fortune. At the peak of his career, Holyfield’s net worth exceeded $100 million. He amassed an estimated $230 million in prize money alone.

By 2008, it appeared that all his earnings had vanished, evidenced by the foreclosure of his 109-room mansion in Atlanta. With the mansion’s yearly maintenance costs surpassing $1 million, it was sold at auction for $7.5 million after foreclosure. Unfortunately, the sale amount fell short of the mortgage owed to the bank, requiring further payments. In 2014, Rick Ross purchased the house for $5.4 million.

In mid-2012, the Georgia Department of Human Services demanded repayment of $372,097.40 from Holyfield to his 18-year-old daughter, Emani Holyfield, threatening legal action if the debt wasn’t cleared.

Child support issues weren’t new for Holyfield, having faced accusations of failing to pay $6,000 for two months of child support for his ten-year-old son. Concurrently, a landscaping service in Utah pressed for payment of a $550,000 debt for services provided.

By January 2013, Holyfield owed hundreds of thousands in back taxes to the IRS.

Over the years, most of Holyfield’s prized possessions, including his Olympic bronze medal, 20 pairs of fight gloves, championship rings, belts, and 25 match robes and shorts, were auctioned off to cover various debts and obligations.

Early Beginnings

Born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama, Evander Holyfield was the youngest of nine siblings. Raised in the turbulent Bowen Homes Housing Projects of Atlanta, Georgia, he commenced his boxing journey at seven. By age 13, Holyfield competed in his first junior Olympics, securing the Southeastern Regional Champion title by 15, along with the Best Boxer accolade. Representing the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, Holyfield clinched a silver medal, paving his way to the Olympics.

Path to Professionalism

After claiming a bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics, Evander Holyfield transitioned to professional boxing at 21, earning the moniker “The Real Deal.” In 1985, he ascended to the cruiserweight division, capturing his maiden title the following year by defeating Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight belt. Subsequently, victories over Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon secured the Lineal, IBF, and WBC titles, solidifying his status as the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. By 1988, Holyfield conquered the heavyweight division, toppling Buster Douglas for multiple titles in 1990. Though his first professional loss occurred in 1992 against Riddick Bowe, Holyfield reclaimed his position by defeating Bowe a year later. However, a setback against Michael Moorer in 1994 caused him to relinquish the WBA and IBF titles.

Among Holyfield’s notable triumphs are battles against George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson (twice), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Michael Dokes, and Hasim Rahman. Noteworthy is his distinction as the only four-time World Heavyweight Champion, clinching titles in 1990 (WBA, WBC, and IBF), 1993 (WBA and IBF), 1996 (WBA), and 2000 (WBA). Despite a brief retirement in 1994 due to health concerns, Holyfield resumed his career a year later post-medical clearance.

Holyfield made headlines in a memorable 1997 match against Mike Tyson, where Tyson’s disqualification for biting Holyfield’s ear created controversy. His defeat to Lennox Lewis in 1999 marked the loss of WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. A failed bid for his fifth World Heavyweight Championship on December 20, 2008, resulted in a contentious majority decision defeat to WBA Heavyweight Champion Nicolay Valuev in Sweden at age 45. Retiring in 2014, Holyfield secured the #77 spot on The Ring’s list of the greatest punchers, boasting a record of 44 wins (including 29 knockouts), 10 losses, and two draws. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017, Holyfield ranks at #9 in BoxRec’s catalog of the finest pound-for-pound boxers. Post-retirement, he assumed a role as a boxing advisor and mentor to heavyweight hopeful Zhang Zhilei.

Additional Pursuits

Establishing Real Deal Records, Holyfield inked deals with music groups like Exhale. By 1992, he had already amassed significant recognition, endorsing several products through commercials for Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. Additionally, Holyfield featured in the Sega Genesis video game “Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing.” He joined the ranks of celebrities endorsing the restaurant chain Zaxby’s. Holyfield:

In 1996, on its way to Atlanta, the host for that year’s games, Holyfield carried the Olympic torch. Through infomercials, he launched a line of cooking products, Real Deal Grill, in 2007.

Television appearances have been numerous over the years for Holyfield. His first appearance was a cameo on the Christmas special of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in 1990. During the ’90s, he appeared in three movies: “Summer of Sam,” “Necessary Roughness,” and “Blood Salvage,” which he also produced. A cameo was made on “Nickelodeon GUTS” in 1994. On “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005, Holyfield appeared and placed fifth with his partner Edyta Sliwinska. In January 2014, derogatory remarks about a homosexual roommate led to Holyfield being the first housemate evicted on the UK “Celebrity Big Brother.” He was featured on the Argentine reality dance show “Bailando” in May 2016.

Personal Life

From 1985 to 1991, Holyfield was married to Paulette Brown. In October 1996, he married Dr. Janice Itson, with whom he had one child before divorcing in 2000. The marriage to Candi Calvana Smith lasted from 2003 to 2012. In total, Holyfield has 11 children.

Linked anonymously to Applied Pharmacy Services in February 2007, Holyfield denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs despite the pharmacy being under investigation in Alabama for supplying athletes with illegal steroids.