Evander Holyfield - all heart (Allsport).

By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

"I may be finished. I'll have to have a bit of time to think about the future. I thank God for what I've had and this defeat may be a blessing in another way. I can spend more time with my kids."

Evander Holyfield had just suffered the first defeat of his career in his 11th world title bout, his 29th professional bout.

He had lost his three world heavyweight titles to `Big Daddy', Riddick Bowe, hanging on through the last three torrid rounds to be beaten by unanimous decision. It was no shame.

Bowe was the best in the world, the naturally bigger man.

It was November 1992. In his eight years as a professional, Holyfield had become the first man to unify the cruiserweight division.

He had moved up to heavyweight and dethroned James `Buster' Douglas, then successfully defended his titles three times before running into Bowe at his best.

By hanging up his gloves after the Bowe defeat, Holyfield had ensured a place in history as undisputably the best cruiserweight ever, a man whose immense fortitude and faith carried him to heavyweight glory which his size handicap ought not to have made possible.

Seven years on from that Las Vegas night against Bowe, Holyfield is destined to be remembered as one of boxing's all-time greats.

He has joined Muhammad Ali as boxing's only three-time world heavyweight title winner.

He has twice destroyed the myth of `Iron' Mike Tyson.

He has earned well over 100 million dollars more money than any other boxer in history.

At 36, he is preparing to unify the division by beating Lennox Lewis.

Not bad for a blown-up cruiserweight.

Evander Holyfield was born in Atmore, Alabama on October 19, 1962, and moved to Atlanta when he was three years old.

He began boxing at the age of eight and built up an amateur record of 160 wins and just 14 defeats before earning a pick for America's 1984 Olympic team.

He reached the semi-final but hit New Zealander Kevin Barry on the break with a booming left hook.

Barry was out cold, Holyfield was disqualified denied the opportunity to fight for the gold medal which he craved.

Amid a swirl of controversy, the International Olympic Committee later revoked their own decision and awarded Holyfield a bronze medal.

For a born winner like Holyfield, it was not enough. He turned professional. In only his 12th paid fight, Holyfield won his first world title, dethroning the twice-champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi to win the WBA cruiserweight belt.

Victories over Ricky Parkey and Carlos DeLeon brought him the IBF and WBC cruiserweight belts, thus unifying the titles for the first and only time.

The cruiserweight division complete, Holyfield needed a new challenge.

In October 1990, Holyfield was crowned undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

But for a true warrior like Holyfield, the way he achieved such a prestigious accolade was not ideal.

James `Buster' Douglas had pulled off boxing's biggest shock by dethroning Mike Tyson in Tokyo, but since his famous victory he had skittled his earnings on cheeseburgers.

He was fat, he didn't care, and he rolled over in round three.

Unimpressive wins over the ancient George Foreman, the limited Bert Cooper and the fading Larry Holmes did nothing to enhance Holyfield's credentials as a great heavyweight, but he rose to the occasion in defeat to Bowe and the notoriously fickle American media gave him credit for his heart and iron will, if nothing else.

Bowe himself said: "Evander had the heart of a lion, I put him through hell. He is a true champion."

In June the following year, Holyfield proved it against the odds when he gained revenge on Bowe by dethroning him on points.

The fight had been interrupted for 20 minutes one minute into round seven when a parachutist landed on the ring apron and fell back into the crowd.

Holyfield won a majority decision from the judges after coming on strong in the last three rounds as Bowe, beginning to feel the effects of the junk food binges which would ultimately prove to be his downfall, tired.

But Holyfield's career was in tatters in April 1994. Michael Moorer, a competent if unexceptional southpaw, outpointed the champion in Las Vegas.

Holyfield, who had already proved against Cooper and Foreman, and would later against Bobby Czyz and Vaughn Bean, that he had problems motivating himself for minor defences, did not have his heart in it.

Literally. Five days after the fight Holyfield retired after his doctor, Ronald Stephens, announced that the boxer had technically suffered heart failure during the fight.

"In actuality, Mr Holyfield fought the fight in heart failure," Stephens said.

"It's an absolute miracle he was able to fight 12 rounds."

Holyfield's condition was discovered after he had been hospitalised immediately following the fight with a sore shoulder and dehydration.

"I was surprised when I knocked him down," Holyfield said.

"I wasn't anxious to get right on him. My left arm was killing me.

"For the last two years I always wondered why I was getting so fatigued, why it took me so long to recover. So when the doctor told me, it clicked."

A year later, after a battery of tests at the world-famous Mayo Clinci, and against the wishes of the public and the boxing media, Holyfield was back, engaging in a brutal 10-round war with `Merciless' Ray Mercer, which Holyfield won on points.

The third fight with Bowe was a natural but this time Holyfield's 33 years appeared to be catching up with him.

He was comprehensively outboxed for the first six rounds before a sensational left hook in that round floored Bowe.

`Big Daddy' recovered and stopped Holyfield after flooring him for a second time early in round eight.

But with that left hook Holyfield had cemented his place in boxing legend as a man who simply thrived in adversity.

The Bowe series was a trilogy which ranks alongside the other great boxing trilogies Ali's epics against Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

Unfortunately, while Holyfield would go on to make more of his career than anybody could reasonably expect,

Bowe, potentially the greatest heavyweight of the 90s, succumbed to the temptations of the fridge and looked bloated and dangerously punch-drunk during his last two bouts against Pole Andrew Golota.

Holyfield's next fight, with Czyz was terrible; Holyfield looked old and Czyz's retirement after round five was more due to his lack of will rather than any talent on Holyfield's part.

But then who was Czyz? The man who could only wage war with the best of them had his sights firmly set on Tyson.

Tyson had come out of prison and destroyed Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon to regain his reputation as the world's most fierce boxer.

Nobody save Holyfield, his camp and an apparently deluded few wanted the fight.

There were real concerns expressed Evander's welfare. It was another cynical mis-match by promoter Don King.

Holyfield didn't stand a chance in hell.

He destroyed Tyson in 10 one-sided rounds, a victory eclipsed only by that of Buster Douglas six years earlier as the greatest heavyweight upset in history.

"My sparring partner Gary Bell was whupping me in training," Holyfield admitted.

"It was discouraging to know you've got Mike Tyson coming up and you can't even get past your sparring partner.

"I know what I was into and you can't count me out, but because I believe in Jesus I can get over things.

"People were looking at me and saying I was washed up. I knew if I got to fight Tyson I would be able to do something different."

The `Real Deal' did do it again half a year later, when Tyson lost his mind and bit part of the champion's ear off in round three.

Holyfield had once again succeeded where only Douglas inspired by the death of his mother had before.

He bullied the bully, and Tyson was so desperate for a way out that he resorted to his ghetto instinct.

"He butted me in the first round, then he butted me in the second round," Tyson offered by way of an explanation.

He has since gained revenge over Moorer and ground out a points win over the completely unknown Bean.

Now he faces his biggest test against the physically far superior Lewis.

"I have what it takes to beat all the fighters," Holyfield says.

"I'm going to do what it takes to keep the belts and be the undisputed champion of the world.

"As Evander Holyfield has proved against Qawi, Bowe, Tyson, Moorer and more, it is not the size of the man, it is the size of the heart that counts.