Evander Holyfield to be honored with statue in Atlanta

"It's supposed to be all done in December," Holyfield said. "It’s nice. It's a great honor. They showed me the form of how it's going to look. It's nine feet tall."

Is he throwing a hook?

"No. They chose the right pose. They said, 'You're a humble guy.' So my arms are down, but I still have that look on my face."

Holyfield, who recently was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame , turns 55 years old Thursday. It was hoped the sculpture would be completed by then, and the dedication would coincide with his birthday and a boxing show by, "Real Deal Championship Boxing" Thursday night. But delays to the project, which was pushed by former Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts and Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed, have pushed the dedication to December.

The artist is Brian Hanlon, who also sculpted the Dominique Wilkins statue that stands outside of Philips Arena. There are four statues of former Braves outside of SunTrust Park: Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro, Warren Spahn (via Milwaukee) and manager Bobby Cox.

The honor is overdue for Holyfield. He was born in Atmore, Ala., but moved to Atlanta when he was young and lived here through his amateur and pro career glory.

He was on his way to winning the Olympic gold medal in 1984, but was forced to settle for the bronze -- poetic irony -- until a disputed disqualification in the semifinals. He turned pro and went on to win the cruiserweight championship, then the heavyweight title, which he held four times. His career included two wins over Mike Tyson. The first, a monumental upset for the title, prompted a parade in his honor down Peachtree Street.

During a recent extensive interview at his  current residence in south Florida, Holyfield and I spoke about his legacy as he headed to the Hall of Fame. Among the things he said was that he hoped to move back to Atlanta one day, purchase his former mansion that still sits on Evander Holyfield Highway in Fayette County -- he lost it because of financial difficulties -- and perhaps turn it into a museum.

He also mentioned how he would love to have a statue in Atlanta, a city that meant so much to him during his career. Wish, granted.

Holyfield has been making a nice comeback in his life, personally and financially. He earns money giving speeches and making public appearances. He also has lent his name to "Real Deal Championship Boxing." The third show as a quasi-promoter will be at the Georgia Freight Depot on MLK Jr. Drive in conjunction with a Hall of Fame tribute.

"It's going well, and it’ll get better," he said. "I have a little more impact on the kids because I’ve done it. They know where I came from and what I accomplished."

Holyfield's other major project now is an anti-gang initiative to get kids off the street and into a boxing gym. Holyfield started boxing at the Boys and Girls Club, but many locations don't offer boxing anymore.

"When people don't have nothing to do they get in trouble," he said. "I lived in the projects, I lived in a bad community, but I was going to the Boys Club all the time, so I ended up not being like my community. I had a place to go."

Preston Haliburton, an attorney, former boxer and Georgia promoter is working with Holyfield on the "Knuckles up, guns down" program. They recently announced plans to curb violence in Cobb County and appeared in the state capitol Tuesday.

Haliburton said the plan is to identify where boxing clubs still exist and to work with probation officers, courts and solicitors "to give the kids some structure and a place to work out their aggression."

There also are plans to form a foundation to help fund building boxing rings. The "Humble Warrior" is giving something back.

-- Holyfield will take memories of mother, career into Hall of Fame

-- Hall of Fame: 'Holyfield: The only thing I did right in my life all the time was boxing'

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