Evander Holyfield Net Worth

Evander Holyfield is a retired American boxer that is best known for his time spent in the ring. The Undisputed Champion fought in the Heavyweight, Light-Heavyweight, and Cruiserweight divisions. He also won a bronze medal in the Olympics. Just how much is this world-famous boxer worth, though?

Evander Holyfield’s Net Worth

Evander Holyfield’s net worth is $1 million. He reportedly made over $220 million throughout his career as a champion. However, financial struggles resulted in his home being foreclosed on and him selling his assets, which was a huge blow to the Evander Holyfield net worth. 

Early Life Evander Holyfield

Evander Holyfield, known as The Real Deal, was born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama. His parents were Annie Riggen Holyfield and Isom Coley. He grew up as the youngest of nine siblings. The family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, when Holyfield was young, and the famous boxer grew up in the Bowen Homes Housing Projects, a violent neighborhood. 

He began boxing when he was just seven years old. At this young age, he won the Boys Club Boxing Tournament. He qualified to compete in his first Junior Olympic when he was 13, and by the time he was 15, Evander Holyfield was the Southeaster Regional Champion. He won both the championship and the Best Boxer Award. Holyfield went on to represent the United States of America in the Pan American Games that were held in Caracas, Venezuela. He won the silver medal during the games and was then qualified to participate in his first Olympic Games. 

Evander Holyfield Professional Career

Evander Holyfield made his professional debut as a boxer when he was 21 years old. This would see both his career and the Evander Holyfield net worth skyrocket. 

He was instantly nicknamed The Real Deal, and 1985 saw him move up to the cruiserweight division. There, he beat Dwight Muhammed Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight Belt. After that, he beat Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon and was awarded the Lineal, IBF, and WBC titles. He went on to become the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. 

He experienced his first win in the Heavyweight division in 1988. He won against Buster Douglas for The Ring, Lineal, WBC, WBA, and IBF titles in 1990. 

His first professional loss came in 1992 against Riddick Bowe. However, the World Heavyweight Champion reclaimed his titles, including the WBA and IBF titles, in a rematch one year later. He lost them again in 1994 when he faced Michael Moorer in the ring. He also fought against: 

• Larry Holmes
• George Foreman
• Ray Mercer
• Riddick Bowe
• Mike Tyson, who bit off Holyfield’s ear
• John Ruiz
• Michael Moorer
• Hasim Rahman
• Michael Dokes

His career was at its peak for years. Other notable moments in his career and involving the Evander Holyfield net worth include: 

• Won the 1997 match against Mike Tyson in which Tyson was disqualified for biting off a portion of his ear
• Became the World Heavyweight Champion three times
• He was defeated for the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1999 by Lennox Louis
• Attempted a win at the World Heavyweight Championship in 2004 but lost
• Ranked 77th on The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punchers
• Retired in 2014 but announced he was stepping back into the ring in 2021
• Inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2017
• Served as a mentor and advisor to Zhang Zhilei

Other Business Ventures

While boxing would have been enough to make Evander Holyfield millions, Evander Holyfield’s net worth also came from various other ventures and deals. Some of those include: 

• Founded Real Deal Records, which signed the group Exhale
• Commercials for Coca-Cola and Diet Coke
• A video game titled Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing, which was for Sega Genesis
• Ads for the restaurant Zaxby’s 
• Carried the Olympic torch in 1996
• Released his own line of cooking products, Real Deal Grill, in 2007
• Made an appearance on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air in 1990
• Made appearances in movies like Blood Salvage, Necessary Roughness, and Summer Of Sam
• Appeared on Dancing With The Stars
• He was on Nickelodeon’s show GUTS
• Was on UK’s Celebrity Big Brother
• Appearance on an Argentine reality show called Bailando

Personal Life

Holyfield’s first wife was Paulette Brown. The couple was married for six years. Then, Evander Holyfield married again in 1996. This time, it was to Dr. Janice Itson. They had a child together and divorced four years after their wedding vows took place. Then, he was married to Candi Calvana Smith from 2003-2012. 

From various relationships, marriages, and hook-ups, Evander Holyfield has eleven children: Evander Holyfield Jr., Eleazer Evan Holyfield, Elijah Esaias Holyfield, Evette Ashley Holyfield, Ewin Ezekial Holyfield, Emani Winter Holyfield, Elijah Jedidiah Holyfield, Eli Ethan Holyfield, Eden Eloise Holyfield, Eve Elizabeth Holyfield, and Ebonne Esheal Holyfield. He has six baby mommas. 

Money Struggles

At one point, Evander Holyfield’s net worth topped $200 million. The professional boxer earned over $220 million in prize money for his fights. By 2008, it was revealed that the money was gone as his Atlanta mansion was foreclosed on. It cost more than $1 million to maintain every year. 

Although it was auctioned off and sold for $7.5 million, Evander Holyfield owed a bank over twice the amount it sold for the mortgage on the mansion. 

In 2013, it came to light that Holyfield also owed the IRS hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes. 

Three divorce settlements, child support for eleven children, and his children’s educational expenses took a large chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s net worth. At one point, the professional boxer was held in contempt of court for failing to pay over $500,000 in child support. 

Many of his possessions have been sold to cover various debts and obligations, including his Olympic medal, pairs of boxing gloves, championship rings, and more. 

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