Evander Holyfield is widely regarded as being one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing.
Known more commonly as ‘The Real Deal’, Holyfield burst onto the scene during the mid 1980s, shortly after he walked away from the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles with a Light-Heavyweight Gold Medal.
He became the first fighter in the history of boxing to capture the undisputed world championship at cruiserweight and heavyweight, a record that was only surpassed back in May of 2024 when Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury.
‘The Real Deal’ fought as a professional well into his 40s, with his final ring appearance coming in May of 2011 when he defeated Denmark’s Brian Nielsen via tenth round stoppage when he was 48-years-old.
Speaking to Pro Boxing Fans, Holyfield shared details of a sparring session he had with former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr, which ‘The Real Deal’ said made him ’embarrassed’ and walk away from the sport for good.
“When I sparred that guy Ruiz and when he was 19 years old he was able to tag me, I knew then [it was over]. I don’t pass my age range where it no longer makes sense to get hit like that by somebody you think you should be able to beat, because experience and all this, but he had speed and I was losing speed….
When we were sparring, every day he did the same thing … He was aggressive then. It kind of embarrassed me a little bit. I thought, ‘I’m a champ and you chasing me like this?’”
Ruiz is perhaps best known for his 2019 victory over Britain’s Anthony Joshua, which saw him become the unified WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight champion in one of the sport’s biggest ever upsets.
