As if pulling a blanket over his head to hide from a world of troubles,
Evander Holyfield will finally retire from boxing today he marks his
50th birthday. Be that as it may, Holyfield, one of the ring’s most
heroic warriors, has been defeated, not by one of his catalogue of
formidable opponents, but by the wounds of self-inflicted poverty.
From ‘Real Deal’ to ‘Meals on Wheels’
A
fighting man, who battled his way out of the ghetto to a $350million
fortune, will wake up this poignant morning in a grim apartment in
downtown Atlanta. This is the deepest cut of all those sustained by so
many fighting men who have squandered fortunes. Mike Tyson only blew
$250million. But Holyfield seems more afflicted than most by the
punishment inflicted by so many sledge-hammer blows to the head. Yet,
even though his speech became increasingly slurred, as he fought on to
an age when the majority of Americans are applying for their bus pass,
he had still been hoping for one last world title shot, one last big
payday to keep the wolf from the door a little longer.
Holyfield
is not just calling it a day, but waiting for a phone call, which will
not come. His potentially suicidal campaign for a farewell fling against
Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko has fallen on ears that are more kind than
unreceptive.
“I believe I can beat either of them, but I don’t
have time now to fight my way back up the rankings and become the number
one contender. There’s no point badgering them any longer. If I don’t
get the call (today), I quit,” Holyfield said.
Forget the phone, it’ll not ring
Bernd
Bonte, manager of the Klitschkos, said: “Neither of the brothers will
fight Evander. Both of them would destroy him at his age and they
respect him far too much to do that. He is one of their idols and that
means more than however, much money the fight might make.”
The
esteem, in which Holyfield is held by the Klitschkos in common with the
entire fraternity of boxing, is hallmarked by the horde of memorabilia,
which he must surrender to auction next month. As the only four-time
winner of the world heavyweight title, Holyfield surpasses ‘The
Greatest’ himself, Muhammad Ali.
That collection of WBC, WBA, IBF
and Ring belts, are to go under the hammer in Los Angeles, along with
the wardrobe-full of gloves, shorts and robes worn in all the most
significant fights in the career of one of the greatest boxers of all
time. Those treasures drip with the sweat of his epic trilogy with
Riddick Bowe, the two controversial battles with Lennox Lewis and along
with his blood from that infamous biting of his ear, the sensational
victories over Tyson.
Although here is no telling how long his
memory of the glory nights will remain sharp, the item from which he
will part most reluctantly is the classic red Chevrolet manufactured in
1962, the year of his birth. It will feel as if his life has turned its
full circle. Yet, even if the fire sale raises its projected $5million,
it will cover only half his $10million bankruptcy.
What really happened?
Some
of the answers are as old as the hardest game itself. As the money
poured in, so Holyfield took to gambling much of it away in the casinos
of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. As all the pretty women flocked around,
so he fathered 11 children with five of them, as well as marrying and
expensively divorcing three times.
As he took gratification from
rising to fame through the old prejudices of America’s Deep South, so he
flaunted his riches by buying Atlanta’s answer to Buckingham Palace.
The most frequently mentioned statistics of that estate are the 109
rooms and 17 bathrooms. He took most pride from having not one, but two
marble staircases sweeping through each end of the mansion. There were
also houses in the grounds for his ex-wives and some of his children.
This was a monument to extravagance born of his pride at overcoming his
humble beginnings, but ultimately, beyond his means to sustain.
In
echoing contrast to that call which will never come, the phone rang
frequently there to be answered by a servant saying: “The Holyfield
residence.”
But he remains an all-time great
Holyfield’s
residence now is a small apartment in one of the less salubrious parts
of his home city. The stately home was repossessed when he fell
$14million behind on the mortgage repayments. Now, one of his daughters
has won an order for immediate payment of $500,000 in maintenance
arrears. Since he has no prospect of paying that or the $3,000 alimony
due every month, he faces being held in contempt of court shortly.
However,
what they cannot take from him is a phenomenal career. A Golden Gloves
amateur title and Olympic bronze were followed by a reign as undisputed
cruiserweight champion of the world. After winning the heavyweight crown
by defeating James Buster Douglas, who had shocked Tyson and the world
in the greatest of all upsets, he went on to fight all the best of the
big time. He alternated between dominating the division and coming back
from setbacks, including suspension with a suspected heart defect to
keep reclaiming the title.
He would have been a five-time
champion had the giant, Nikolai Valuev, not robbed him of a decision in
February 2010 at the age of 47. He has the satisfaction of bowing out as
a winner, having defeated Danish veteran Brian Neilsen in what was to
be his last fight.
Win or lose, the way Holyfield always went to
war in the ring was thrilling and unforgettable. Some may withhold
sympathy, given the former scale of his wealth. Yet, while his excesses
wee a folly, the sadness is profound.
Tyson, who is finding ways
to rebuild his life, is offering assistance and advice to the man whose
lavish generosity has extended to forgiving Iron Mike for chewing off
his ear. Famously, a born-again Christian, Holyfield said: “I still have
hope.”
He needs help, hopefully, from all the people whose lives he has enriched with his courage.
http://www.iol.co.za/sport/boxing/holyfield-turns-50-retires-broke-1.1404011#.UIUm9K4XLeg
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