Even during that time period, he clearly had mental/emotional issues, as proved by his later escapades and imprisonment for ****. You don't know what he got up to behind closed doors any more than I do, but to say that he was nice in interviews and then ignore a tonne of (circumstantial I admit) evidence that points to him being far from "well mannered" in his private life, is kinda naive dude.
Holyfield was a dirty fighter, he just knew how to hide it well. Look at how he times the headbutt and the low blow. [yt]jXjYjSnVcEI[/yt]