When Did Evander Holyfield Go To The Olympics ?
Evander Holyfield first participated in the LA Olympics in 1984 where he ended up winning a bronze medal because he was disqualified in the semi-final against New-Zealand’s Kevin Barry. The Summer Olympics of 1984 turned out to be a big disappointment for Holyfield. The way he had performed to reach the semifinals, it was assumed that he would win the gold medal. |
However, during the semifinals, Holyfield was disqualified by the Yugoslavian referee for hitting a punch after the referee had ordered the boxers to break. Holyfield was ultimately awarded a bronze medal.
The US lodged a protest against the referee's decision. The US claimed that the entire semifinal bout was fixed as the Yugoslavian referee had not gone according to the rules set by the World Boxing Association (WBA). But the protest was in vain as Holyfield’s disqualification was held up by the International Olympics Committee and Holyfield was banned from going into the final round to contend for the gold medal. Holyfield's disqualification from the Olympics garnered a lot of interest and it ended up becoming the biggest newsmaker of the 1984 Olympics. The whole episode motivated Holyfield to prove his mettle at the international level.
Shortly after the Olympics, Holyfield turned into a pro boxer in cruiserweight category. Holyfield won many titles in the cruiserweight category. In 1989, Holyfield moved to heavyweight category, and become the unquestionable heavy weight champion in the 1990s. He is the only boxer in the world to have won heavyweight championship for four consecutive times.
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