A Review on Evander Holyfield and a Few Other Boxers

While I hope he didn't use steroids and I haven't read where he admitted to it, we can only speculate at this point what Evander Holyfield has and has not put into his body (if anything).

With that being said, I did think it was a stark contrast physically between his first two fights with Riddick Bowe. He put on something like 12 pounds of solid muscle in a little less than a year. It could have been because of his first loss, trying to find that edge to put himself out on top that made him do it (if he did).

I was a rabid Tyson fan in the 80s and 90s, so much so that I still haven't seen Tyson-Holyfield I, though I did hear that Tyson blasted him with a shot in the chest in the first round that would have crumpled many a fighter. Perhaps steroids were the reason for the quick recuperation from such a blow (perhaps not). I believe it was from the incredible amount of heart Holyfield always displayed and would prefer to continue believing that (for now, anyway).

To my knowledge a legitimate usage to give athletes steroids is to aid in recuperating from muscle tears or surgeries (I could be wrong-I watch a lot of medical shows on TV). Maybe that's what he has admitted to (if he's really admitted to anything). But I will note that Holyfield's musculature looks starkly different now than just a mere five years ago. While still muscular and bigger than he was before the first fight with Bowe (205 pounds as opposed to 216 pounds in his most recent fight with Vinny Madalone) Holyfield's body seems to have aged significantly. It could be because he's 44 years old or it could be something else. Hulk Hogan admitted steroid use and afterward he was still big, but the 24 inch pythons definitely weren't 24 inches anymore (I don't have an exact measurement, however).

Another thing to note is Holyfield's aggressive behavior, aside from the part where he was punching guys in the face. During the 2nd Tyson fight I didn't see it but on subsequent replays Holyfield definitely opened cuts above Tyson's eyes with head butts. In between rounds during the fight with Chris Byrd his father warned Chris to watch out for Holyfield's "third punch". If you saw the fight with Rahman you know that knot wasn't started from a punch and Rahman said as much. So far as I'm concerned, Holyfield has spent a significant amount of his career head butting and is slick enough with it that referees miss it (I even heard he bit a guy in the Olympics). He dips low then bounces up while throwing a hook to the head and "accidentally" head butts his opponent. He probably got away with it on reputation alone even if the referee saw it. Surely a legendary professional didn't just do that on purpose? a ref might be thinking. Again, this isn't evidence that Holyfield was on steroids, but it's something to consider.

But it's important to keep in mind that accusations alone are enough to sully an athlete's reputation. At this stage the finger-pointing should be kept to a minimum unless and until something more substantial can be brought to light. What if Holyfield built that body from old-fashioned hard work and the only performance-enhancing drugs he ever used (if any at all) were because they were prescribed by a doctor for a legitimate medical purpose that didn't involve him having better power or reaction time in the ring? If you accuse an accountant of tax fraud he might not ever file another return, accuse a doctor of malpractice he might not ever see another patient-let's not be so quick to ruin fond memories of one of the greatest fighters ever (if he is).