Holyfield: Role Model For All Boxers & Other Sportsmen

Atlanta - Holyfield’s charitable work is not limited to poor people in his hometown. He left on January 3 on a nine-day trip to Sri Lanka and other nations in South Asia to help children devastated by the tsunami. Holyfield invites 5,000 underprivileged children to his home for a picnic and fireworks on the Fourth of July, and for Christmas he buys $50,000 worth of toys and invites hundreds of children to visit. “To see for themselves that a black man can make it, a man that came from a place like they live in,” he said. “To give them hope and something to strive for.” His estate and his lifestyle suggest that Holyfield has not endured the desperate circumstances of other former heavyweight champions, from Joe Louis to Mike Tyson, who spent more than they earned in their careers. He has made an estimated $200 million from his 48 professional fights, which included 38 victories, eight losses and two draws. (His last six fights account for half of his losses and one of the draws.) He owns real estate, a record label, a clothing line and a small television network that emphasizes family and religious themes. :) :) He is being maligned and ridiculed for his "non-retirement" from the ring despite signs of the times. But let's look at the other side of the man. His stubborness notwithstanding, he is certainly one of, if not the most, respectable and the humblest guy who ever stepped into the ring of all time and should serve as role model or example for all sports people out there! Toasts and cheers for the Real Deal and may we see more of his tribe in the world of sports today!!! :) :cool: