When Evander Holyfield steps into the ring again this weekend he takes with him a love of God – and money Gavin Evans When Evander Holyfield was searching for Bible verses to spirit him towards Mike Tyson, it was, intriguingly, to the New Testament he turned. Skipping the bits about turning cheeks and loving neighbours, he settled for St Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Never a verse better chosen for a pair of shorts. Because Holyfield is a man of childlike faith in his God, and God-like faith in himself. Holyfield’s faith, God’s fortitude and let’s just say Don King’s largesse – quite a holy trinity. When the other two aren’t up to it, the Don steps in. Like against Lennox Lewis last year. Holyfield had a “divine vision” of a third-round knockout but instead was outboxed, only to be saved by a corrupt, drawn verdict. In the return he lost a unanimous decision, but again King was there to ease him back. And so, he gets to face John Ruiz for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) “world” title on Saturday in Las Vegas. Technically it’s a result of a court ruling that Lewis should drop all other plans and face the WBA’s top contender – a slot held in perpetuity by the King’s men. Holyfield and Ruiz are both King-owned as was the previous number one, Henry Akinwande, who was ruled out because of hepatitis B. To put it in perspective Lewis has already beaten Holyfield and Akinwande while Ruiz turned down a $2,5-million offer to fight Lewis and was knocked out in 20 seconds by Lewis’s next challenger, David Tua. Whoever wins, King gets back a share of the crown, although Holyfield, normally an epic self-deluder, is honest enough to admit that he needs Lewis’s soul before he can claim to have bettered Muhammad Ali’s record of winning three world heavyweight titles. “At this point in my career, I can’t make any mistakes,” he said. “I’ve always felt nobody can beat me and that attitude hasn’t changed. I won’t be satisfied until I can unify the title and retire – even if I have to wait until I’m 42.”
Lou Duva, the trainer who guided him to his first world title, gave me the inspirational side of this drive: “One thing you’ve got to realise with Evander: there are better boxers and bigger punchers, but no fighter, ever, has invested so much in winning; no fighter has his drive and willpower; no fighter is more competitive. No fighter has his heart.” His second trainer, Emanuel Stewart, had a different take. “Everyone thinks of him as this humble, nice guy, but I’ve never met anyone with an ego like his. That’s why he’s doing it.”
When journalists visit his Atlanta mansion, he will act the Southern host – with a difference. “Look at my pool table? I can beat you. I got my own bowling alley. Wanna game? I’ll win. My pool’s Olympic size. I can whip you in a race. See my tennis courts? I’ll wipe you off them.” This mania about proving himself, over and over again, spills over into sexual conquest. A Pentecostal fundamentalist, who talks freely of divine epiphanies, healings and revelations, he has consistently fallen short on the seventh Commandment, fathering several of his eight children out of wedlock, including two while his then-wives were pregnant.
Which, in turn, exacerbates his desire for longevity because part of his motivation remains that old root of all evil. He’s a renowned miser who particularly resents his mounting alimony payments – and having recently defended and lost another, massive claim from his third ex-wife, he feels the need to make up the balance. So he fights on and on, with his speech slurring from all those brutal wars. Ruiz has shown no capacity for brutality but may prove more difficult than anticipated: bigger, nine years younger, and a quick mover with a sharp jab. It’s possible Holyfield will suddenly run dry, two months short of his 38th birthday. But, there’s more of a chance that his advantages in strength, power and determination will see him through. Or faith, if you want to go that way. “I’m a Christian. I don’t have the spirit of fear,” he insists. “I’m a conqueror and such people don’t lose from fear. Winners make things happen, while others let things happen. I fear no man and that enables me to fight at my best.” Holyfield’s best is no longer sufficient for heavyweight supremacy, but it should be enough to put him in line for another beating by the real world champion, Lennox Lewis.