History's only four-time world heavyweight boxing champion and one of America's most admired and beloved athletes reveals the dramatic story of his rise from poverty to the very pinnacle of the toughest sport on earth. 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.

Atlanta-born boxer's biography.

The infamous boxing match between Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield on June 28, 1997, was like none other in the sport's history, and this insightful account of the anticipation, the gruesome fight itself, and the ongoing aftermath of that one night reveals just how much of an impact it really made. The rivals met for a rematch that would never be finished, as Tyson earned a disqualification and infamy that followed in the third round by biting off a portion of Holyfield's ear. Through nearly 100 interviews, including with the famed fighters themselves, and extensive research of past interviews, books, and transcripts, this exploration of the sensational events surrounding the fight provides a behind-the-scenes, past and present look at the bout.

Introduces the champion boxer, Evander Holyfield.

The weekly source of African American political and entertainment news.

On 28 July 1997, in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield engaged in what would become the most infamous fight in boxing history. After the third round of a heavyweight championship match, Tyson was disqualified for biting off and spitting out a chunk of Holyfield's ear. But what drives a man to viciously bite another man? Was it a mental breakdown? Was it fear? Was it retaliation? In 'Twice Bitten', renowned sports columnist George Willis details what triggered Tyson's mad act of violence and reveals the answers to the following questions: what happened to the piece of ear that Tyson chewed off and spit out? Why didn't Holyfield reattach it? And was it popping champagne bottles or gunshots that caused a near riot in the MGM corridors and casinos that night?

In 1996 Evander Holyfield; the 34-year-old, undersized, overachieving, polite, humble, and religious former Heavyweight Champion of the World; symbolized all that is honorable and admirable in professional sports. At the other end of the spectrum was the reigning champion, "Iron Mike" Tyson, the vicious self-proclaimed "baddest man on the planet," who had emerged from a prison sentence for rape to recapture the heavyweight crown. Virtually every boxing expert in the world had declared Holyfield a "shot" fighter whose career was over. When the surprise announcement was made that Holyfield would fight Tyson in November 1996, there was universal agreement that Holyfield had no chance to win, and the odds were set at 24-1 against him. But on November 9, 1996, Holyfield emerged from his locker room with a euphoric smile on his face and walked to the ring to the sounds of the gospel hymn "The Spirit of David," as song inspired by the story of David and Goliath. An hour later, Holyfield shocked the world by knocking out Tyson, and, for one shining moment, good had triumphed over evil. Holyfield's victory over Tyson and his subsequent triumph over Tyson in a rematch in which Tyson savagely bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear in one of the most infamous events in sports history, marked an incredible comeback for a man whose career had been written off, but this was only one of many comebacks in his life and by no means the last. Holyfield is one of the most famous, popular, and financially successful athletes ever. He is the only man to have won the Heavyweight Championship of the World four times, and he has won more than $200 million in the ring, more than any other boxer and almost any otherathlete in history. Now at age 42, having lost his last three fights, Holyfield refuses to retire until he has recaptured all three of the major heavyweight championships one more time, no matter how long it takes. For 13 years, Jim Thomas was at Holyfield's side on a daily basis as his attorney, adviser, close friend, and confidant. The Holyfield Way is an eyewitness account, along with Holyfield's own personal reflections, of one of the most successful, relentless, and sometimes controversial athletes of his era. Experience life behind the scenes of boxing as a firsthand observer inside the Holyfield camp and watch the story of Holyfield's perseverance unfold as the "Humble Warrior" fights on.