THE END OF EVANDER HOLYFIELD
EVANDER HOLYFIELD was boxing’s consummate warrior and as pure a fighter as there ever was in the sport. He embodied the best of the reasons why fans are drawn to boxing. But all good things must come to an end. For Evander, the end of his days as an elite fighter came on October 4, 2003, when he fought James Toney in Las Vegas.
The public perception of Holyield crystallized on July 12, 1986, when he outwilled Dwight Muhammad Qawi over fifteen brutal rounds to claim the WBA cruiserweight crown. After that fight - bruised, battered, and badly dehydrated - Evander was taken to the hospital for overnight observation.
“I lay in that bed,” Holyfield later remembered. “And even though I won, I said out loud, ‘Oh, Lord; I don’t know if I want to do this anymore.’ But to be a true success, you have to endure hardship. Being a warrior isn’t just being destructive. A warrior is a man who takes it to the end and doesn’t quit.”
Four years later, Holyfield knocked out James “Buster” Douglas to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. More historic triumphs followed highlighted by a 1993 victory over Riddick Bowe and two conquests of Mike Tyson.
“I’m really not interested in being the baddest man on the planet,” Evander said after knocking out Tyson in the eleventh round of their first encounter. “My only interest is being the best man in the ring.”
During the course of his career, Holyfield defeated Tyson,
