Evander Holyfield

 Evander Holyfield, born October 19, 1962, is an American ex-professional boxer who competed from 1984 until 2011. The 1980s saw him as an undisputed cruiserweight champion division. He also held the title in the heavyweight division throughout the 1990s. Nicknamed "the Real Deal", Holyfield is the only heavyweight world champion, having held the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titles from 1990 until 1992. He then held the WBA as well as the IBF titles from 1993 to 1994, the WBA title for the third time from 1996 to 1999; the IBF title for the third time from 1997 to 1999, and the WBA title for a fourth time between 2000 and 2001.As an amateur, Holyfield represented the United States during the 1984 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division for light. He made the switch to professional wrestling at age 21, moving up to cruiserweight in the year 1985, and taking his first World title in the year following, beating Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA title. Holyfield went on to defeat Ricky Parkey, Carlos de Leon and eventually become the undisputed cruiserweight champion. In 1988, he made the move to heavyweight, and then defeated Buster Douglas to win the WBC, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles. Holyfield then suffered his first professional loss against Riddick Bowle in the year 1992. Holyfield regained the crown by winning a rematch just one year later, defeating Bowe to win the WBA and IBF titles (Bowe having surrendered his WBC title before that). Holyfield was later stripped of these titles after a tussle with Michael Moorer in 1994.Holyfield was forced to leave the sport in 1994 on medical advice, but he returned the following year with a clean medical report. In 1996, he defeated Mike Tyson and reclaimed the WBA title, in what was named by The Ring magazine as the Fight of the Year and the Upset of the Year. This resulted in Holyfield the first boxer after Muhammad Ali to win a world heavyweight title three times. Holyfield was victorious in a 1997 rematch against Tyson who saw the latter disqualified in the third round for biting off Holyfield's ear. While he was champion, he also made amends for his loss to Michael Moorer and reclaimed the IBF title.In 1999, he fought Lennox Lewis in a unification fight for the undisputed WBA, WBC and IBF titles. The fight ended in a controversial split draw. Holyfield was defeated in a rematch eight months later. He lost to John Ruiz the following year for the vacant WBA title. It made him the first boxer to claim the title of heavyweight four times. Holyfield was defeated in a rematch with Ruiz seven months later, and defeated him three times in a draw. Holyfield retired in 2014, and is ranked number 777 in The Ring's list of the 100 greatest boxers ever[3]. Additionally, in 2002, he was named the 22nd greatest fighter of the last 80 years. [4] He currently ranks No.91 in BoxRec's ranking of the top boxers pound for pound of all time BoxingScene named him the best cruiserweight of all time. 6. He was the first boxer in history to hold the world title in three distinct periods, the 1990s, 1980s, and 2000s.