Evander Holyfield - How Strong?

Thank you....I feel like going to the gym now...

 

btw,the chuvalo frazier fight is on u-tube watch how george keeps backing joe up nobody but foreman did that to frazier.chuvalo was a strong guy indeed

 

chuvalo did lift as a fighter,some say thats what made his punching slower.
i've meet george chuvalo on 3 occassions,once at a sports dinner with gordie howe as well

 

Physically as strong as most of the much larger heavy he ever faced,

Mentally... Unmatchable...

 

In 1989, I read that Holyfield started incorporating weight training into his daily routine. At that time he could bench press about 185lbs. After a year he got so strong that he could bench press 375lbs. 12 times after his heart was already elevated from running or something to that effect. Holyfield singlehandedly debunked the myth that proper weight training cannot help boxers. It enabled him to outmuscled Tyson and Bowe (in the second fight) among others in clinches.

 

tyson didn't use weights until prison/post-prison. And Holyfield is definitely strong, look how built the guy was. But he wasn't as hard puncher as say Tyson. There's a difference between physical strength and punching power.

 

...And I wonder how he accomplished that? :hey

 

The details are murky because I read this stuff many years ago in Sports Illustrated. It was during the time that Holyfield knocked out a south american heavyweight named Adilson Rodriguez. I do remember the article stating that Holyfields strength gains were immense. The 375lb. bench press of 12 reps was true. Holyfield, in his recent book vehemently denies using steriods or HGH. Claims it goes against his deeply-rooted Christian principles. He was never busted and I would have to believe the man unless it was proven otherwise. He's just an incredibly hard worker who believes in his abilities.

 

Holyfield may or may not have used drugs, but I never understand when people cite his "move up" from cruiser as evidence.
What I wonder is, if Holyfield was such a steroid/HGH user then why has he stayed down at 215 or thereabouts for the last 15 years ?

He's 6'2 1/2, amd he's broad shouldered. Why did he put on only 15-25 pounds and stop there ?

Michael Spinks looks beefy as hell at 208 pounds against Cooney, just two years after weighing in at 175, but I dont hear many steroid allegations.

Big guys like Bruno and Lewis packed on anything between 25 and 35 pounds in their careers.
Razor Ruddock turned professional at 185 or so.

A 28 year old Ray Mercer in the Olympics (200 pound class) compared to the way he looked a few years later in the professional ranks is quite severe too.

Point is, if Holyfield's a major juicer, and he's being out-sized by guys like Bowe, and Lewis, and he's roughly as tall and broad as a Rahman or McCall, then isn't it odd that he stayed at such a medium bodyweight ?
For a guy who's a drug user ?!?
Why did we never see a 230, 235 pound Holyfield ?

 

You make some good observations. I have read through Holyfield's book, and he does seem to be pretty honest and straightforward about things. Holyfield states that what helped him move up to the heavyweight division, along with all of the weight training, was the simple act of him not being so drastic with his diet. Apparently Holyfield had to work pretty hard to keep his weight below the cruiswerweight limit. Once he decided to move up in weight to heavyweight, he didn't have to be so restrictive with his diet. And that, combined with the weight training, saw him move up rather quickly.

And for the guy who posted asking about Holyfield's heart problem; yeah, he was diagnosed with a "non-compliant left ventricle" immediately following the Moorer loss. But I'm still a little confused about that whole diagnosis. He was also diagnosed with having a whole in his heart. But then the diagnosis was later reversed and his heart troubles were chalked up to a huge influx of morphine used to treat Holyfield's hurt shoulder, along with a bit of dehydration suffered in the Moorer fight. Those two things apparently produced a misdiagnosis of Holyfield's heart problem. But in Holyfield's book he chalks up his "being healed" to Benny Hin working his magic......pheeew! Who knows!

 

Of course he would deny it.
Deeply-rooted Christian principles never stopped Lee Haney or Ronnie Coleman from 'turning the other cheek.' And let's not forget Holyfield trained with Lee Haney.

So you want to tell me in one year, he packed 190 lbs. onto his bench press naturally? Mate, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you...

 

Did boxing have steroid testing back in the 90's I wonder? Baseball is now coming down like a ton of bricks on Bonds and Clemens. In professional wrestling some roid ****** killed his whole family and then himself about a year ago. Clemens might be facing perjury charges in the near future from an FBI probe.

 

I haven't read the book, but this flies in the face of an interview I read with him stating "I weigh 190, 195...I've never seen 200." This was either KO or World Boxing about 1 and a half years before he moved to heavyweight.

There was something fishy about that whole heart problem saga from the start. First one story, then another, then yet something else again.

And the faith healing? Benny Hin is a decidedly shady character and Holyfield claims faith healed him. But Holyfield has been known to sprout a lot of nonsense before. Remember his bold prediction that he'd KO Lewis in three rounds because the Lord said he would?
What happened there?
Either Holyfield was delusional or lying, or God was.