Becoming Holyfield

Barely able to make it into the heavyweight division and almost always the smaller fighter in the ring, Holyfield spent his professional career proving the naysayers wrong. Along the way he provided some of the twentieth century's most thrilling sports moments, not all of them on purpose. In Becoming Holyfield, he gives us the exciting inside story of defeating Mike Tyson, the self-proclaimed "Baddest Man on Earth," and then getting a piece of his ear bitten off in the rematch. We learn how it felt to become the undisputed champion of the world by knocking out the man who knocked out Tyson, and we find out what it was really like to be in the middle of a title fight and see a motorized parachute fly right into the ring. There is heartbreak to go along with triumph, beginning with Holyfield's loss of an Olympic gold medal because of a highly controversial disqualification and continuing through his short-lived retirement following a misdiagnosed heart condition. Along the way we're treated to glimpses of such colorful figures as Don King and Howard Cosell and we come to understand the extra-ordinary power of love in shaping a young boy's life, and the love he tried to return. Holyfield made more money in the ring than any other fighter in history, and gave away millions to support the dreams of underprivileged kids looking for the same kinds of breaks that allowed him to become a champion. Holyfield's immense popularity cannot be overstated, and it cuts across all ethnicities and socioeconomic classes. The top three highest-grossing sporting events in Las Vegas history were all Holyfield fights, and his highly rated appearances on Dancing with the Stars helped to ensure that show's success. Other fighters may have been bigger, stronger, or more flamboyant, but few could match Evander Holyfield's poise, grace under pressure, or commitment to serve as an inspiration to others.

Evander Holyfield with Lee Gruenfeld

Prologue 3 Chapter 1: Childhood 10 Chapter 2: The Ring 23 Chapter 3: Childhood's End 32 Chapter 4: Trials 40 Chapter 5: Olympiad 46 Chapter 6: Isom Coley 71 Chapter 7: Going Pro 77 Chapter 8: Life in the Big Leagues 87 Chapter 9: Champion 100 Chapter 10: Breaking Ranks 126 Chapter 11: "Iron Mike" 136 Chapter 12: You Can't Win 'Em All 151 Chapter 13: "Finally!" 166 Chapter 14: The Weird Part 176 Chapter 15: Atlas Shrugged 189 Chapter 16: Affairs of the Heart 197 Chapter 17: A Year of Living Dangerously 215 Chapter 18: Hard Lessons 231 Chapter 19: "Holyfield V: The Final Chapter" 243 Chapter 20: It's How You End 262 Appendix: Professional Fight Record as of March 17, 2007 270 Acknowledgments 275