Evander Holyfield: “People say I can’t, well I say I can”
 INTERVIEW By Benny Henderson Jr. (July 18, 2006)
August 18th at the American Airline Center in Dallas, Texas and televised on Fox Sports, back by unpopular demand the four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield 38-8-2 (25) will return to the ring after a nearly two year hiatus in hopes to gain a world title once more before calling it a day.
In the more than twenty-two years of fighting in the ‘sweet science’ the ‘Real Deal’ has beaten the odds and earned himself a spot in history in doing so, from a bronze medal in the 1984 Olympics, an undisputed cruiserweight champion, an undisputed heavyweight champion, a four time heavyweight champion to boot, countless unforgettable bouts that include a thrilling trilogy with Riddick Bowe and the ‘Fan Man’ mayhem, an ear biting incident with Tyson, from heavyweight greatness to a disturbing loss to Donald in ’04 that led to the New York State Athletic Commission suspending the former champ for “poor performance”, and now, at forty-three years old, Holyfield wants more!
Despite what many in the boxing world may think of the former champ and his return, Evander isn’t letting up on his stance in making another comeback, and he confidently feels he will yet again be successful in doing so. His opponent is the seemingly over matched but very game Kentuckian Jeremy Bates 21-11-1 (18), and despite the fuss over his arrival back to boxing the fans in the Big D are gobbling up the seats explained the Texas based promoter Lester Bedford, “Evander and I discussed several potential sites for this first fight back. We both agreed that Dallas was a good fit. Several things went into the decision, but the primary reason was that Dallas is such a great sports town, but has never
hosted a major boxing event or had a world heavyweight champion (current or former) fight there. We were comfortable Evander would be well received there and the fans there are certainly proving us right. Tickets are doing very well and we anticipate a very big turnout."
Will Holyfield return to greatness, or will he go down in flames, can the forty-three year old former heavyweight champion muster it up enough to make it a worthy go around? He thinks so, and in this exclusive interview with Doghouse Boxing Evander speaks out on his return and the reasons for his return, enjoy.
Benny Henderson Jr.: Well I know that you are probably very tired of hearing this question but the reoccurring question in my mind and the minds of many fans and media a like, why…with all that you have accomplished in the sport why continue on?
Evander Holyfield: I have yet reached my goal, my goal is too retire the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
BH: Your thoughts on the fight itself, what do you know of your opponent Jeremy Bates, what type of fight are you expecting, and most importantly what will we see differently from Holyfield than in November of ’04?
EH: I don’t know too much about this fighter that I am fighting, but you know I can say in 2004 you seen a guy that was not himself, I was having problems in that fight, not so much had nothing to do with boxing I couldn’t get my body to do nothing because I had shoulder injury, I really wasn’t well. But time has gone by and I am back, everything is good and I can really truly pursue my career and not so much fighting against myself. A lot of the time you are fighting against yourself when you are fighting with injuries, unfortunately it wasn’t anybody else’s problem it was just a bad decision I made for myself.
BH: Looking back on your career with all of your accomplishments and all, what would you say has been the highlight of your career?
EH: I have had so many highlights it is hard to say just one, every fight I had got me to the point to be a world champion. Making the Olympic team was one of my big highlight moments; of course the first time I became a world champion in ’86, there were great moments, and I had a lot of great moments and I thank God for all of them great moments. Now isn’t much different than then, all my life people never gave me the chance, but I did it, it is like going back with this fight, people say I can’t but I say I can.
BH: There are a lot of naysayers on your continuance of fighting, you know it and I know it, so what would you say to the ones who say don’t do it, you can’t do it, what would you say to them with the open forum to speak out?
EH: Well actually not too much, it is just the society that we live in. People do things they believe they can do and if you ask why it is because they are not happy, they try, it is something that they want to do and take that chance at. But I am who I am today because I was always brought up to believe that, that you can do I wasn’t taught that you can’t, you never know unless you try. So I have been able to do a lot of incredible things coming from a family that believes in the Word of God. The Word of God says that isn’t like you can’t, you just have to prepare yourself and say I can, you have to work at it, it is no different than anything else, if I want it then I have to work for it. I can’t depend on someone to just give it to me, I have to prepare myself and be very focused on what the Word of God say, and I have to be very confident that I can. I believe that you have to prepare yourself, it doesn’t matter the age, just did you prepare yourself did you do all that you could.
BH: How would you define the heavyweight division?
EH: Right now people don’t know whom the champion is, there are not a lot of fighters who aren’t dominating.
BH: Looking back when it is all said and done, and I mean seriously all said and done, what do you feel the boxing world will say about the man and fighter known as Evander Holyfield?
EH: I truly believe that they will probably say that this fighter here was special, the special thing about him was what he believed more than so everything. I am believer in the Word of God, and I am empowered by the Word of God that is my confidence, and I think they will say that I did the best that I could and made the best efforts.
BH: Not over looking Bates, but who would you like to face in your quest for your fifth title after this bout if successful?
EH: I think with my career is that I have to get myself back to what I used to be, then when I get back to there then I have to add some things to that, it isn’t going to be easy, and I have to work myself back to what I used to be and then add some more to be better. Then we will get some more fights to get me back to the form that is respectable and then it is time for fighters to get me to the championship, and then it is the championship.
BH: You speak a lot about your faith, in fact you have all through your career from what I remember, I just want to know how much of an impact has your Christian faith played in your career?
EH: Well it is my career, and it has been my career, I have been a believer all my life. My whole heart and soul is in the Word, it gives me confidence in everything that I can be. In life you will have set backs, but if you make the adjustments and follow directions you will succeed. Like as an amateur I lost eleven times as an amateur, but I won a hundred and sixty four times and still made the Olympic team, and look at my professional matches, people say that I lost a lot of matches, yes, I have lost I think eight matches, thinking about it I am the only person to be the heavyweight champion four times, so you have setbacks but if you correct them and keep striving you will finish your career like you supposed to. You know I had a whole career, not a half one, and that career consists of when I was a child he did it, when I was a teenager he did it, when he was a young man he did it, when he was a man he did it, now that he is an older man he can really do it. I had four careers, and that says something about my Lord and Savior, and that says something about my faith, in my faith in who God is. It would be easy to say that with God and me being young I can do it, but as a believer in God and now an older person I can do it, because I believe in God, when I didn’t know nothing I believed in him, and in great knowledge I believe in him. They said I was too small, and I believed that I could do it, every phase of my life when people thought I couldn’t I believed in Him and I did it, and this is just another step, and I believe in Jesus, and I can do it, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and that’s what it is to me.
BH: Plans after your fight career?
EH: I truly believe that my mission is to spread the Word of God, in how good God is, not just boxing but in everything that you choose to do, just do it with God, you can be a solider for the Lord, be a witness for the Lord and inspire other people to be the very best that they can be.
BH: Is there anything you would like to add to or say in closing of this interview?
EH: Mainly I truly believe that our faith that we have towards Jesus Christ and believe who the Holy Spirit is, moves us to do things. So when it is all said and done, realize that nobody chooses their parents, nobody chooses their skin color, you don’t choose anything, but this is where I am starting, some people are rich and some people are poor, you choose a lot of things, but some things you don’t choose. So whatever we do choose to do in life we need to choose it and do it with Jesus, do it through him and we will over come and be a light to the world. I think that is the inspiration in me, that through my mother she gave me the opportunity to know Jesus by taking me to church, and got me going and with the hard times that I have had my beliefs had allowed me to overcome, I can’t do anything with out God, so my words to the people who may be reading and they think that Christians use the Word to hide behind, one of the most important things I know about being a Christian, who in the world can make so many mistakes and can ask for forgiveness, and be forgiven, I have done things but Jesus was always there for me to forgive me, and I have done some things wrong, but Jesus is still there, He will give me wisdom, He has given me so much, and these are things that I know and these are things that I want to share with people.
I would like to thank Meka for setting up this interview, and a special thank you goes out to Evander for sharing his thoughts.
Stay tuned for the Doghouse Boxing ringside report.
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